The World Isn’t Cruel - Grasshopper

On the surface, the statement, “The world isn’t cruel” seems to be an opinion, when, in fact, it’s a verifiable fact.

The dictionary defines cruel as “willfully causing pain or suffering for others.” The world does no such thing. But, claiming some of its inhabitants cause willful pain and suffering is a cruel fact.

 

When we globalize an opinion, we paint the whole world as an enemy of the people. It’s just the house, not some of the cruel humans who live in it.

 

We deflect where the responsibility lies. It’s like the golfer who just shot a poor round saying, “My putter wasn’t working today.” The putter works the same all the time. It’s he or she that wasn’t working today.

 

It’s not a “Wild World” as singer Cat Stevens portrayed it, nor is it “. . . A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World” as seen on the movie screen. The world is just a container of reality, subject to the cruelty of its inhabitants, the same as us.

 

So, if you admonish someone for not living in the “Real World,” you give them a false sense of perspective. Rather than warning them about structure, teach them about the inhabitants.

 

You’ve lived long enough to get a barometer on people. Pass along that knowledge as though you’re a jury consultant. Rather than saying juries can be cruel; instruct and model for those around you the behavior of an impartial juror. Show them the warning signs of willful inhumanity and teach them how to nullify and stand up to it.

 

Passing the buck by blaming the world or your putter does nothing to reduce the pain and suffering. Showing who is the cause and holding them accountable is the remedy.

 

It’s not a loving or hateful world. It’s just the place where we, as the old saying goes, “hang our hat.” Make the people in your world your focus and you’ll reduce the cruelty of the big, bad world.

 

All the best,