Why it has to be like this?

Question

In all the aspects of this world we can find that there is always "US" against "THEM" . You can find this thing everywhere, on the racial aspect, cultural aspect, economic aspect etc. even on the religious aspect (satan vs god, odin vs. loki etc.). Can`t we people live without transforming everything in "us" vs. "them" ?

Answer 1

Us verses Them is the only evil that exists in the world today.

It goes back to the Garden of Eden myth. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is the birthplace of the idea of judging things as good or bad. Once you have good and evil you can start to divide everything into good/bad or right/wrong. Of course WE are always good and THEY are always evil. Once you declare something evil you now have the justification for doing things against it. We are the good guys, they are the bad, therefore we can/must stop them.

The atrocities we are experiencing today stem from the idea of conquering evil. War on terrorism, Anti-American, Ethnic cleansing, evil by any other name is still Us verses Them.

The most interesting aspect of this idea, is that generally, what you see when you look at THEM, is yourself.
Christians and Muslims are very similar in that each believes in sin and judgment. Each believes that they have the one and only way to enter the kingdom of heaven. Each has the concept of martyrdom. Each has a wide range of devotion among the faithful from the fanatical to the casual.
Liberals and conservatives are similar in that each believes in a set of values. Each has a wide range of devotion among the faithful from the fanatical to the casual. Each feels that their values are important and should be imposed on everyone.

There really is no us or them. You are always looking at a mirror.

Answer 2

This is the nature of capitalism. America is a wasteland of competitors. I'm not referring to economy here but rather the effect our economy has had on our societies ethics and morals. So much is focused on success and competition and so little on moral education and freedom of thought. People are becoming machines so that the society doesn't serve us but we serve it. Our technology has made us reliant and subservient to our society and to prevail in this system has become everyone's goal. I try to ask people about benevolence, acting so as to help people, and even just acting with moral conscience and greater than 70% of people answer with a religous response or an us vs. them response. These people act entirely in self-interest and will admit they would do immoral things if it benefitted them. Our society of competition has disintegrated human ethics and the career politician has removed ethics from government as well, and big business has taken the word human out of government. I don't know what is left for human ethics.

Answer 3

It's human nature to want to feel part of a community an "us" apart from the rest of the world, "them." There is always someone we feel a kinship with & someone we feel alienated from. Someone we consider the good guy & another the bad guy. We have a need to be angry at someone & blame "them" for whatever ails us. Them may be management at your job, may be the government, the "establishment," a group, whatever entity that you consider unfair or unsavoury. That's just how it is.

When you say "us" you feel a sense of belonging & closeness. When I speak of my boyfriend, I say "us" & it makes me feel special to be part of that. But the disadvantage of "us", is that it can't exist as a concept without "them" even if it just means the rest of the world who isn't on cloud nine where "we" are...

Answer 4

I believe we can, It is all in personal choice. We are looking at cultural relativism. I like Aristotle's philosphy that to live like a virtuous person would live is to be virtuous. Maybe this is the first step in leading by example.

Answer 5

Welcome to the wonderful world of replubican competition.