When you get a book suggestions from someone, you just assume that they have sniffed every page of it. Well, my advisor hadn't read it herself this time. But maybe those are the best recommendations - word of mouth advertising.
As my lack of trust in people can be so dreadful, my sis Hanne pointed me to Rutger Bregman's 'Humankind: A Hopeful History' ('De Meeste Mensen Deugen'). Let's say that my faith in humanity had some major improvements... And I have at least stalked a handful of people about how much I liked the book. (if you had to listen to my sawing: I hope you have started the first page by now).
I'm a sucker for non-fiction biological books that present the topic as if it's the easiest thing. When everyday matters are explained with the funniest, most logical anecdotes. When the brain reads about the brain. Because the book certainly fits within psychological literature but more daring.
The bestseller, as I can happily say so, is a march against negativity. Rutger debunks myths, finds errors in old and new scientific publications, lists the facts,... just to find the good in people. The research that's hidden in well-chosen words does not miss its effect: certain deep rooted historical events gain new insights. Maybe they were misinterpreted in the first place. And maybe we need people as Rutger Bregman to pick them up again and revise in terms of new discoveries.
In five volumes (that's more than 500 pages of reading pleasure), we get to know the homo puppy, a successor to homo sapiens. And just now, when reading this, you can see the reason for the change in succession with your own eyes. No need for time-travelling. Our modern features tell us that intelligence isn't installed in our brain capacity but rather our kindness.
One interesting piece of information on World War II stayed with me. After the war, interviews were conducted of veterans about their use of weapons. It turned out that only half of them fired a shot. And that's explainable - I try not to spoil to much - by our raw nature, one that's kind to begin with.
My (very) last attempt to pique your curiosity is about a story of a Norwegian prison. Graphs and stats keep track of how often inmates commit another crime once they're out of jail. So instead of reintegration into society, they relapsed. This Norwegian prison used compassion as a weapon to bring the grade down. Flowers as weapons you could say. These flowers created a downfall of 11 committed crimes on average in the future. To quote Rutger's retrieved statistics: 60% of criminals in the US are back in prison after two years, in Norway it is 20%.
The book gives so much food for thought. And when you are lost in how to put theory into practice, 10 guide rules at the last chapter are your life buoy (the author hates self-help books though).
I'm not gonna lie, I'm not fúlly convinced that this shift in thinking explains a lot of dark history and conflicts. For that, I may need a thorough statement for each event. But I'm fairly reminded that misconceptions and miscommunication are a big-ass thing. And evolution is not to be underestimated. But nevertheless, I will do my very best to see the good in people!
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