Another Trip Around The Sun

I was born June 19, 1952. So that you don’t have to do the math, this means I have completed 71 trips around the sun. In those years I have learned a few things about living. Most of what I know falls under the categories of common sense or common courtesy. Although, these days, neither seems very common.

People say the world is different in 2023 than it was in 1952. I’ll admit that’s superficially true. We didn’t wonder about which bathroom to visit when I was a kid. We didn’t wear masks because we were afraid of the flu.

We did practice getting under our desks so that a Soviet nuke wouldn’t obliterate us. As if a wooden desk would protect us.

In all the ways that matter, humans have not changed and aren’t likely to. We’re hardwired for much of our behavior.

Kindness, for instance. Research seems to indicate that we want to help ease the burdens of our fellow travelers on planet Earth. Compassionate behavior makes us feel good, helps us live longer and builds bonds between people. As we pointed out in this post,

Random acts of kindness make you happier. Science and religion agree. Earth’s major religions have been telling us for eons that doing good deeds is as good for us as for the people receiving the beneficence. Scientific studies now are supporting this view.