Even if everyone was loving towards each other, that doesn't create a perfect society. When we are young we are generally taught by our parents to be polite and kind. Of course one person can act nicely, but that doesn't say the same of everyone else. The fact of the matter is, not everyone will be loving and kind to everyone and everything. Unless everyone is specifically examined for "niceness", no one will know that for sure. It is true that loving people can make others happy, but that does not fix all other problems in our society.
I Agree, social stability and civilness cannot be created by everyone being nice. Obviously our society now does have its faults. Now, some people do blame our problems on hatred of different groups, countries, ect. But, with the competition of our modern day society, their is little room to be nice to get what you want, which seems to be what almost everyone does. However, with competitiveness a lot can be learned, and better people for the long run. Obviously being nice makes everyone feel good, but it doesn't make a society better overall. Learning from your mistakes, and getting criticized is what can help you improve, and live a more satisfying life. So rather than just everyone being nice, although I think it is very important to be nice, I think critique can actually create a more stable society.
If we were just kind towards everyone our society's stability would fall to pieces. We would have no foundation or standards. Of course everyone likes to hear nice things, but if it were to ruin every other aspect of our society, would it be worth it?
I do believe we need something more than love, and I agree that critique is something important to have. It would create less problems because not everyone has the same point of view. If you never disagree with a person because you're being kind and love them, then they would never grow as individuals. Thus never learning from our mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI like your idea that critique is necessary in a society. If everyone went along with bad ideas because they didn't want to be nice and offend the person by telling them they didn't like the idea, society couldn't function. I agree that society does need more than love and kindness to function.
ReplyDeleteHi, Laura. You have somewhat missed the point of the question. I didn't ask if you thought a society based on love was achievable. What I asked was even more fundamental and hypothetical in nature: would a harmonious society necessarily follow from everyone treating everyone else lovingly? Would the result be civil and social stability or not?
ReplyDeleteThe question of whether we can achieve it or not in our society is secondary to the question of whether or not it would produce the desired result. I want to know if a society governed solely by love and kindness is even worth trying to achieve. See where I'm coming from?
The answer isn’t as obvious as you seem to think. Visualize what a society would be like if everyone was taught from birth to be nice and to think about others before themselves. Would there be things like laws and schools (civil order)? Would it be “loving” to set a speed limit? Would there be things like families and dating (social order)? Remember, we’d need to love everybody equally—no favorites! Just because people are kind to you, would you necessarily have a happy life?
Also, don’t forget about the other part of my question: if love isn’t enough, then what else is needed? Was Confucius on to something when he spoke of li?
Also, remember the one main content rule regarding blog posts: explore the possible answers first, then take a position. Show me you’re actively considering the options.