We are great at pointing fingers and disciplining others. I am totally guilty of it – everyone is. It is bred in our culture to act in such a way. While this method may have worked in the past, it makes me wonder why we don’t re-evaluate humans or society by asking “why?” and exploring the cause rather than forcing consequences. Now don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for such rules and laws that protect us and the world in general. However, I believe that in order to resolve problems we need to not only keep asking why but have the ability to come up with helpful solutions for individuals. Such individuals may be in desperate need of this type of help and solely relying on punishment or even exile as the solution may not be the answer we should always resort to.

We have evolved as a human species greatly over the years. We have become more aware of the physical and psychological attributes that we have as a species, how our brain works, and even how to help those needing medication or therapy. My question is, why isn’t this being implemented more in society? Let me give you an example, say someone gets into trouble with the police which results in that person getting punished with something like a fine, jail time, house arrest, or something along those lines. To me, it is clear that this person is going through something that has caused them to act a certain way. The fact that they did something that the police saw as bad or against the law and that person was punished for it is of no help to them. I think we should look further into why they did what they did. Yes, some people will not do it again once punished but is because they have learned to hide from others and even themselves (emotionally speaking). What if this person was acting out due to trouble at home and in need of help physically or emotionally from a therapist or doctor etc. What if they are too scared to admit they need help, or maybe they don’t even know they need it? There have been many times when I could have used professional help but did not even realize it at the time. Could we not show mercy and help this person come up with more of a solution by asking why? Instead of solely relying on punishment to do the job.

I believe there is a cause for everything, and we are capable of identifying this cause if we focus more of our time and energy on offering help to such people. I think it’s important to offer this help before punishment and even force someone to get help before resorting to punishment. If we want the world to be a good place, we have to be good people. This means showing someone forgiveness and understanding no matter what they have done (to a certain extent I would imagine). I personally believe that because this help is not offered to people initially, it causes them to look at society as something that is negative and feel rejected and uncared for or wanted in the world. This could result in anger and rebellion against society because of this emotional or physical separation and feeling of guilt that we as a society have forced upon people.

I have often wondered if it is possible that everyone is innocent, we just don’t fully understand or allow ourselves to see it properly. We have this idea that there are bad people in the world we have to protect ourselves from. So we go out and buy security cameras, guns, and weapons of all sorts. We go to war thinking that we have to (in order to stay safe from bad people). But what if we come to terms that we are all just human beings and we are actually all innocent and need each other’s help to create equality between us? One reason that pops into my mind is greed and fear. The more we ask “why?” the more answers I seem to find.

So why is this our responsibility to help them?? Well, we have made them feel ashamed of themselves. It is not something I would want to admit to others if I had a psychological or emotional issue. I would live in fear of being rejected by society and being ignored or punished. Genetics and environment are both things that can cause struggle. Everyone has their own type of struggle. I don’t think it is fair that someone has to feel ashamed of their struggle due to society.

Basically what I am trying to say is we are all humans and none of us are perfect and we make mistakes. We already know this. At this point, I can’t help but imagine the dramatic Lion King scene where the Lions unite as one and accept each other’s help. Well, why can’t humans help each other instead of exile, hate, and punishment? I know there are so many possibilities where this may not be useful in helping certain people. All I ask is that next time someone does something that you think is bad and you develop hate for them, try to think about why they acted how they did. Were they taught to act in an incorrect manner or perhaps not taught how to react at all, do they have emotional instability, are they ashamed of something, and most importantly could they use help? The next question might be what would help them, and it may they may need professional help. Let’s try not to shame or judge them for it or say they are “less of a person” because of it. I know it is only natural for us humans to do this but why not try something different? By considering “why” more often, we can come up with possibly more efficient solutions for each other.

Humanity is a type of species capable of a lot of cool things, but by working together we could become an even more amazing and strong species.