Bring on the barbarians

"I decided years ago, I really don't care what some folks think of me. They are either gonna like me or not and there is little that can change that. I know one thing that won't change, I refuse to be what someone else thinks I should be, I am me, take or leave it. We came in this life without most of them and we can leave without most of them."

How many centuries did it take for civilization to develop? How long was it between the time Neanderthals grabbed at fresh meat with their dirty fingernails and stuffed all they could into their mouths, battling all competitors, and the development of etiquette? What did it take — religion, deference or wisdom — to shift human personalities from caring only for one's self to a character of sympathy and empathy? And now have we reverted back through the centuries and millennia to the levels of compassion displayed by our prehistoric forebears?

The manifesto above is taken from a social media post. It's the words of one person, but it's not an anomalous quote. That attitude seems to be gaining popularity. Whether it comes from public schools wringing hands over self-esteem or from young parents' worshipful attitude toward their offspring, I don't know. But the philosophy, if it can be called that, is frightening. Taken to its extreme, it says, "I'm self-centered, disrespectful, unconcerned about others, arrogant and violent when I want to be, but that's just the way I am. That's me. I'm not changing. You don't like it? That's your problem. I don't have any problems. Now get out of my way!"

All the world's great religions teach us to defer to others, to care for others, to respect others, to "love one another." "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." These principles underlie modern etiquette, diplomacy and social interaction. Help others. Find common ground. Express concern. If these principles are being displaced by a new generation of people who care only about themselves and will reject any criticism or correction, we may be headed back through human history to a barbaric time.