Book 129 - A Year of Magical Learning (Top 5 - Five Part Reflection 1/5)

Reflection Title – BE A REALIST...believe in the good of humanity!

Book – Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman (1/5)

Book Description: If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest. But what if it isn't true? International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. 

Reflection:

Instantly one of my top five 5 favorite books I've consumed on this journey. If the books, Sapiens,Thinking Fast and Slow, and Give and Take, had a little brother...it would be Humankind. I loved every minute of it and I learned SO MUCH!

I don't know about you, but I find it scary sometimes when you are going through a new book and starting to really get into it. I start to get worried that it will let you down somewhere along the way. I start thinking with each passing chapter that this can't possibly get any better...and then it does.

This was one of those books for me. I might even make this one a 5 part reflection as well as it spurned so many new thoughts and views on the world that my head is spinning. Most books, I have a hard time inventing a single great reflection to share about what I learned. However, you know you just finished a top 5 favorite when you had a list of 7-8 brilliant thoughts you'd like to share, and you can't pick which one. I'm making it official, I'm writing a 5 part reflection on this one because...this is my year of magical learning dammit.:slightly_smiling_face:

For part 1, let's begin with the key theme of this book, the idea that Humans are an inherently good, caring, and kind species.

As weird as this sounds, this is a pretty radical take on humanity in my mind. No matter what your take is on hypothesis, the author is right that society at large believes that this is not how humanity really operates. We have it ingrained when we are growing up that life is about survival of the fittest. If you want to be successful, it is either you or them. We are barraged by this notion in all areas of our life like news, sports, school, politics, and even the business world. It is a dog eat dog kind of world. You either kill or be killed. That is who we are as a species and the ones that embrace this idea will be the humans that ultimately rise to the top. That is just reality!

Well, it turns out that it isn't. The "reality" is that humans are actually good, decent, loving, playful, and compassionate. That is who we are as a species. We have built this world on cooperation, mutual benefit, compassion, and understanding of each other. We didn't build this world on violence, hate, and survival of the fittest despite what every one seems to think.

When you peel back the layers of superficial society that we've created, I think we are all surprised to find that at our core we care about each other immensely. This mirrors what I experienced when we went through our traumatic life event with our daughter being born at 22 weeks old and then losing her 39 days later. This period of my life, and the subsequent months to follow forced me to peel back the layers of my life back down to the core of what I am. When everything had been taken away from me and nothing else mattered anymore; all I could think about was giving back to this world. I wanted to share the lessons Emilia taught me and that had changed my life. I wanted to be there for other people going through something similar traumatic events and just listen. I wanted to help others searching for answers to their own life. I wanted to unite with other people that were on a quest for purpose.

That is what I found at the core of my existence when everything was taken away. I don't think I'm alone in that thought either.

That is real reality....we are caring, loving, and giving. Assume the best in everyone and you will not be disappointed.

Question: What would happen if you assumed everyone you met was inherently good vs. selfish?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman