I was particularly intrigued by the section on moral development in chapter ten. I've always considered myself to be an empathetic person. One of my favorite things to do is people watch. On several occasions, I've purchased a pastry and a cup of tea from a bakery and sat by the window for the sole purpose of people-watching. I enjoy making up stories for the people I see passing by--where they're coming from, where they're going. Sometimes I imagine what it's like to be them.
In the chapter, Berger specifies that being empathetic is not the same as being sympathetic. I think that the two relate though. For instance, seeing a homeless man on the street may stir up feelings of sadness for that person (sympathy) due to the fact that you can understand how he's feeling (empathy).
I think the way that my parents raised me has a lot to do with my empathetic nature. I also think that my Catholic-school upbringing may have reinforced/encouraged empathy. Sometimes I worry that I'm doing good things for the wrong reasons. Recently I was having a debate over the benefits of the existence of religions throughout the world. My friend argued that an atheist volunteering is doing good for the sake of doing good and a religious person volunteers to gain something. I really think the worth of a kind act/whether or not it can be classified as prosocial behavior depends on the specific person and his/her intention, regardless of whether or not they're religious.
Abbie, I enjoy people watching as well. I'm not as creative as you though - making up stories for the people I watch.
ReplyDeleteI like how you explain the connection between sympathy and empathy. If I ever have children of my own one of my biggest goals would be to raise them to be caring empathetic people.
I agree with you that anyone regardless of religion or lack of religion can do things for self serving reasons or noble reasons. For example a person can volunteer so that people will think well of them, ie. volunteering at a certain organization looks good on a college or job application. As a Christian when I worked in a nursing home, I recognized that every person I cared for was created in the image of God, and was a person of worth and value, regardless of their ability to communicate or contribute. Treating people as human beings, not just tasks, did have the side benefit of making me feel good about myself. Is it not the same for a non-religious person? Don't we all do good for the sake of others and ourselves? I viewed myself as the physical feet and hands of God in caring for the residents I was responsible for. It was and is a privilege to be a part of His work in loving people.
However there are many religions that teach that doing good will earn you favor or merit with God, so I suppose that is what your friend was meaning by people doing it for the sake of themselves. Personally i don't believe there is anything i can do to earn God's favor, blessing or merit. His mercy and love is an undeserved gift, not one that I earn. I don't deserve that the sun comes up every morning, I don't deserve the privilege to go to school, i don't deserve the wonderful living arrangement I have with an Amish family, I don't deserve the gift of eternal life through Jesus.
I agree with your friend that if we only do good to others to save our own skin or earn better standing with God or outweigh our bad deeds with our good deeds, or any of similar religious reasons, we're not going to do very well at loving people.