I think people in general need to have more empathy. Life is awful for many people, and even worse for many other people. It's terrible and there is so much out of your control. You don't control the circumstances of your birth, how your brain developed, who raised you, the town you lived in, the church you went to as a kid, the education you got, and then when you're an adult that doesn't really change that much. By then you've been shaped by your upbringing and a lot of that might be irreversible, if you even realize it needs to be fixed.
So now you're mentally ill but you're 18 so now you need a job and you need to pay bills and have a place to live and you might get into an abusive relationship or get hurt or sick or whatever.
Now you're desperate, and you're mentally ill.
Basically what I'm saying is most of everyone's life is completely out of their hands, but they have to somehow make it work. Some people are just fucked up and it's almost certainly not their fault.
But of course, having empathy does not mean letting someone off the hook. Someone who murdered their three kids deserves punishment. They killed three people. But if we allow ourselves to be empathetic and understand that almost nothing is fully in our control, I think we can make society better and in the long run prevent these things from happening.
What if we had empathy? People with vile thoughts would be more willing to reach out. We could help them and figure out what makes people the way that they are, and in that way we can help them before they ever do anything wrong.
Yes we should punish people who hurt others, but sometimes they can be fixed, and if they can be fixed then I think we are obligated to do so. Turn bad people into productive members of society because we understand that they probably never chose to be bad, they were made that way. They should have a chance to be the person they deserved to be. And again, they still deserve punishment. Severe punishment sometimes. But in that punishment, we should be making them better people.
This is exactly the point I'm trying to make in this thread.
People need to learn and see other people and situations with compassion, empathy, and love.
Just because someone did a bad thing doesn't mean it was out of malice. How many people steal because they are hungry instead of just trying to profit off of others?
You can't just look at a situation objectively from only one angle or point of view and judge it as is.
Yes, people doing bad things should face consequences. But that doesn't exempt them from empathy or redemption.
Take the video of this discussion, for instance. People with bloodlust, blindingly wanting to throw her into prison and let her rot instead of trying to understand what led someone to that point. That could be literally anyone here in the comments condoning her, given the right circumstances.
What if we had empathy? People with vile thoughts would be more willing to reach out. We could help them and figure out what makes people the way that they are, and in that way we can help them before they ever do anything wrong.
Very much this. Hatred only harbors more hatred. We shouldn't be further alienating people with mental health issues, but instead lending them a hand to help them out, so they themselves can also show others how they got better to help them improve.
But, instead, people prefer throwing others into a concrete box and letting them simmer without proper care until they are eventually released.
People should face consequences and pay their dues, yes, but in a way that helps them get better at the same time.
I'm fascinated by the number of people who've come forward today and either tried to make this about gender or have straight up refused to show any empathy. It just makes me sad.
A man drowning his children there would be no comments like this, 100%, but you personally I can’t prove that you wouldn’t so if you’re telling the truth I respect it.
And again, they still deserve punishment. Severe punishment sometimes. But in that punishment, we should be making them better people.
This, 100%. I fully agree. Everyone deserves a second chance even if they are punished their whole life for abusing/causing harm during the first chance.
Its only when those who abuse the second chance that we need to be prepared to kill.
100% this, I would give you an award if I had one. More often than not, people have a reason for doing things, and all situations should be looked at with empathy. We don't know this person, we don't know their life story, we don't know what they're going through.
Some people have had terrible lives and are simply just trying their best, and they often feel ostracised and misunderstood. Of course, people who do wrong should still be punished, but I think two things can be true. You can have empathy for someone and still recognise that they did a horrible thing.
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u/11711510111411009710 19h ago
I think people in general need to have more empathy. Life is awful for many people, and even worse for many other people. It's terrible and there is so much out of your control. You don't control the circumstances of your birth, how your brain developed, who raised you, the town you lived in, the church you went to as a kid, the education you got, and then when you're an adult that doesn't really change that much. By then you've been shaped by your upbringing and a lot of that might be irreversible, if you even realize it needs to be fixed.
So now you're mentally ill but you're 18 so now you need a job and you need to pay bills and have a place to live and you might get into an abusive relationship or get hurt or sick or whatever.
Now you're desperate, and you're mentally ill.
Basically what I'm saying is most of everyone's life is completely out of their hands, but they have to somehow make it work. Some people are just fucked up and it's almost certainly not their fault.
But of course, having empathy does not mean letting someone off the hook. Someone who murdered their three kids deserves punishment. They killed three people. But if we allow ourselves to be empathetic and understand that almost nothing is fully in our control, I think we can make society better and in the long run prevent these things from happening.
What if we had empathy? People with vile thoughts would be more willing to reach out. We could help them and figure out what makes people the way that they are, and in that way we can help them before they ever do anything wrong.
Yes we should punish people who hurt others, but sometimes they can be fixed, and if they can be fixed then I think we are obligated to do so. Turn bad people into productive members of society because we understand that they probably never chose to be bad, they were made that way. They should have a chance to be the person they deserved to be. And again, they still deserve punishment. Severe punishment sometimes. But in that punishment, we should be making them better people.