Most people are basically sane. For the majority of their lives, they support themselves and interact peacefully with others. Their beliefs track reasonably well with reality. They make a net positive contribution to society.

Or so I used to think; now I'm less sure. There are so many folks nowadays, it seems, who can't or won't take care of themselves, who break down when things don't go precisely as they wish, and who can't make a decision (and who won't admit that not-deciding is often a bad implicit decision).

But maybe it's not just a phenomenon of post-post-industrial civilization; maybe it has always been this way. The crazy cousin who lives in the attic ... the perpetual drifter ... the lazy kid who won't help in the fields, who wanders off rather than fetch water or participate in the hunt ....

My other optimistic belief in human nature remains solid: most people are basically good. At least, I hope so!

_{^z - 2008-04-24}

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