Whether you realize it or not, your brain believes in something called theĀ āJust-World Hypothesisā, and itās a big part of the reason that weāre all so horrible to each other.Ā
On the surface, you know that the world isnāt fair. You might say those exact words out loud to yourself every day. But deep down, somewhere in the back of your mind, your brain secretly believes that we do live in a fair and just world, where everyone gets exactly what they deserve. Our brains canāt handle chaos. We had to evolve believing that our actions always had rational consequences - if you go out and hunt for food, you get to live. If you donāt hunt, you die. Thatās what gets us out of bed in the morning, and lets us muster up the motivation to chase after our goals. We canāt really handle the idea that terrible things can happen to us at any time, for absolutely no reason. So our brains pretend thatās not true.Ā
When something bad happens, we need to know the reason why it happened. We need to know that there was a way to prevent it, and if there isnāt one, our brains will make something up. He got cancer because he didnāt eat well enough. She got assaulted because she wore a short skirt. He lost his job because he didnāt work hard enough. We canāt accept that cancer just happens. We canāt accept that assaults can happen to anyone. We canāt accept that our lives are at the whims of large economic forces beyond our control. Finding reasons to blame others for their own misfortunes lets us pretend that misfortunes can always be avoided. It lets us pretend that if we just eat our vegetables, wear long dresses and stay a little late at work every day, nothing bad will ever happen to us.Ā
This is still true, by the way, after something does happen to us, even if it was truly outside our control. No matter how clearlyĀ ānot our faultā it was, we will still look for ways to blame ourselves for what happened. Thatās how strong this instinct is. This is why victims of abuse and assault will bend over backwards to blame themselves, even if they were toddlers at the time of the incident. Because at the end of the day, itās still much, much less terrifying to believe thatĀ āI fucked upā than it is to accept thatĀ āI live in an indifferent universe where bad and good things happen to undeserving people, and thereās nothing I can do about itā. Weāre willing to throw ourselves under the bus if it means that we can hang on to that comforting illusion.Ā
The problem is, that comforting illusion has real-life consequences for a whole lot of people.Ā
The just-world hypothesis is the reason that wealthy people struggle to feel any empathy for the poor. They donāt want to accept that being rich or poor is largely due to luck and circumstance - it would be hard to live with the guilt that comes with having so much more than other people. Instead, they have to believe that everyoneĀ āearnsā their lot in life, and that everyone has a fair chance to succeed. They have to believe that the poor are lazy, or stupid, or incompetent, because the alternative is unthinkable. Itās the same reason people struggle to find empathy for criminals, or abuse survivors, or the mentally ill. We need to believe that those people somehowĀ ādeserveā their misfortune - otherwise, we would have to accept that we are no better than they are, and that at any time, we could end up just like them.Ā
Believing in the Just-Wold Hypothesis isnāt your fault. Itās always going to be lurking somewhere in your mind, pushing you to blame others and whispering unkind thoughts into your ear. You canāt get rid of it. But you donāt have to listen to it. Weāre lucky enough to be able to think and rationalize, and once you know why you have these unkind thoughts, you can ignore them and choose empathy instead.Ā
jimmyeatworldofficial
kianamaiart
origamiaround
blakekathryn
