Sunday

What You Can Do About Sociopaths

-
Martha Stout said if more people knew about sociopaths there would be less war in the world. I think she's right. Consider these facts:

1. According to the famous Milgram experiments, 65 percent of people will follow the orders of an authority.

2. Sociopaths want to win. They seek control. They are excellent manipulators. They don't care who gets hurt. They don't care who lives or dies.

3. They sometimes make it to positions of power. And they cause wars.

If more people knew the characteristics of a sociopath, more people would identify them for what they are before they gain too much authority and power. A sociopath would then be less likely to ever gain significantly powerful positions.

Result: Fewer wars.

There would be less horror in the world.

The truth is, even though it is a common belief that "man is a violent species," we are not. But when a sociopath gains a position of supreme authority and they start wars, 65 percent will obey authority, and most of the rest will be fooled and manipulated into believing in supporting the cause. The result is war. And many of those who fight in them feel terrible about the whole thing. They don't want to kill. They feel they have to.

The reason sociopaths are able to get away with as much as they do is because most people are so ignorant about the topic.

Now listen: You are in a unique position to save the world. Not very many people know about such a thing as "common, everyday sociopaths." They don't know their characteristics. They don't know how to spot them.

But you do.

Share your knowledge. Share it far and wide and in every way you can. And urge everyone you know to help you spread the knowledge. This could change the course of history. It could go a long way toward real peace on earth.

And beyond that, imagine a massive movement of public education about the existence of sociopaths. How much misery and suffering could be prevented? Each of us can start now to educate the people in our lives, and thus immunize them against sociopathic manipulations.
-

No comments: