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Both Greed and Generosity are Learned Behaviors

by John K. Stoner   (July 5, 2017)

I ended the previous blog with the question, “What are human’s capable of (specifically in “the giving and receiving of love, that is, a simple caring for the well-being of others?”) 

Those who say that humanity is capable of acting more on the basis of love (than we currently see it doing) are often, even routinely, dismissed as deluded idealists.  I am one who does claim that humanity is capable of acting more on the basis of love than it is currently doing.

This does not mean to me that it will be easy or automatic for this to happen.  What it means in my mind is that we need to give attention to doing the things that need to be done to nurture and encourage people to choose love instead of fear, greed or bullying.  

People tend very strongly to act on the basis of their conditioning, education (formal and informal) and experience.  Perhaps you have noticed that people who are real successful in greed and acquisition of money or goods have gone through a lot of training and experience in those practices.  That is to say, that the practice of negative behaviors are as surely learned as are the practices of good behavior.  

So it is not a big jump to say that good behaviors, practices informed by love or generosity, can be encouraged and learned. 

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