Religions and their sacred texts all point to the dangers of envy and being spiteful. From Judeo-Christian Biblical narratives we read of number of juicy stories about the messy worlds of peoples of faith and the demise associated with spite and envy. Though some of the narratives seem to point out that the Divine redeems some really bad situations (as a result of spite and envy) into good, I suppose that there are many who will find it hard to imagine that there can be altruistic elements in being spiteful?
Can being nasty to others bring good to society? Do we have to be cruel to be kind? According to John Whitfield writing in New Scientist (16 May 2009) and drawing on a variety of research findings from among those in the sciences, humans are “a nasty species” and this may be because deep down we are caring and humane. Indeed, an interesting thesis that ought to help us take a second look at all those nasty people around us – except ourselves. I wonder what the person at the other end of my “nasty behaviour” would make of me adding that “it is because I care and I am humane that I am nasty to them”.
One argument, according to the piece, is that when people do bad things to bad people it not only makes them feel good – but it serves as a powerful motivation towards egalitarianism and entrepreneurship. This is another interesting thought and I suppose it all depends on motivation. For the flip side to this is that if humans are unable to rise up beyond being nasty, then we may “find dragging someone else down just as good” [p.43] and staying there may just become the vicious circle we get locked into – a nasty habit! A telling aspect of findings from some research is that high caste or upper class people tend to be nastier and more inclined to punish others more spitefully than those at the lower end will be inclined. Should I therefore assume that the more privileged are the only ones with a conscience and altruistic qualities?
Lest I do an injustice to the writer’s intention I must note that the bottom line or the moral in his article is that “while spiteful behaviour can be a powerful force for keeping a society functioning smoothly, the structure of that society must be able to contain and channel those spiteful urges.” [p.45] An unanswered and urgent question is who or what will oversee the containing and channelling given our present economic demise (and by whom?), the expenses scandals of our politicians and the gradual disintegration of some of our long established gatekeepers of morality and propriety.
As we wrestle with this, it will certainly do us good to scrutinise motives very carefully – a shortcoming of the research. For there is a thin line between altruistic punishment and envy-driven contest, the consequences of which can result in the privileged always ending up faring better! It may be human to be nasty and it may be that such behaviour/response can serve altruistic purposes. But what the findings of Whitfield still need to account for and reflect on is this: that it is also human to embody a “touch of the Divine” – to overcome instincts and to embody goodness so that the humane and caring merely flows as a habit.
copyright June 1, 2009
