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We humans really like passing on our problems on to other people
Sunday, 1 July 2007
We all have problems in this life. Some are bigger than others, but each of us is burdened with something we find almost unbearable from time to time. Maybe you have problems in your love-life, or your health is bad. Perhaps it's something as major as bankruptcy that bothers you, or something as small as a cold-sore. Whatever, it is, life is filled with difficulties.
And because we find the problems that face us so - well - problematic, we are always looking for an easy way to be rid of them. And often, the easiest way is to try and pass them onto somebody else. If you look at the history of humanity, it is a big story of one group trying to solve its problems by passing them onto another group.
Take slavery, for example. What a terrible practice it is. But why do people feel the need to have slaves? Because it allows them to reap the rewards of hard work, without making the payment of doing it themselves. Often, rewards come with the problem of unpleasant labour. Slavery is simply passing that problem onto somebody else.
Many wars are fought for the same reason. One nation doesn't feel it's rich enough or that it is in possession of the lands that are rightly owed to it. So it tries to solve this problem by passing it onto another nation by seizing their resources or territory.
High schools are one big seething pit of problems passing. After all, one of the easiest ways to become the most popular kid at school is to put down other kids. You attempt to pass on your problems of unpopularity to others, by teasing them and giving them a hard time.
That miserable person on the bus who was rude to you is probably attempting to pass on their misery to others. That mugger in the alleyway is trying to solve his problem of lack of funds by turning it into your problem. Most sports involve winning by turning your opponent into a loser.
Everywhere you look you see this phenomenon. It's a staple of human nature. By understanding the way it flows through ourselves and our societies, you can make your relations with others easier. Once you understand that this is what motivates many people in their actions, you can make sure that they don't pass on their problems to you without your permission.
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