Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-01-29
Why We Behave
Like Truman Beings
BY GEORGE DORSEY, Ph. D., LID.
"People Don't Do Such Things"


are collective reactions biologically
useful in herds and early human So
ciety, but they persist in countless
forms today and extend their influence
to such unimportant biolOgic factors
in modern life as ruffles on skirts and
creases in trousers. Everybody is"
and People don't" become potent fac
tors in modifying the environment to
which individuals are conditioned to
respond -# aHe Esa..E
Almost before the youngster has
learned o respond to the facts of life,
he is compelled to learn adjustment
to the fancies of life. Human behavior
as adjustment is meaningless without
understanding the power of social en-
vironment to enforce its limited re.
sponses upon the newcomers Society
does not easily change its mind, be-
cause to change is to acknowledge de-
feat; it hates to run. Its mind being its
entire body and tied up with emotion,
it vents its hate on "Don'ts" and much
of its energy in enforcing obedience.
But there is almost no limit to the
pressure that a normal individual can
stand if the pressure is applied grad
ually; we get callOused; to odOrs,
sights. sounds, and bondage of trap
pings. and the harness by which we
draw our burdens. And well for us
that we cal become accustomed to the
burdens of things, people, and situa-
tons that we must bear. But man is
not by nature a beast of burden or
fitted by nature to keep his nose to
grindstOne. And the man so yoked
or chained is one more human being
lost for activities that might be hui
man.
AS one recalls some of the monstrous
situations under which human beings
have lived and live their lives. one
marvels at mans meekness and COM
placency. 1t can only be explained
by that quality of flesh to become cal
loused to situations that if faced sud
denly would provoke blisters and re-
volt.
Mans Inheritance is all right and
is his only Inherently valuable asset.
1t is human Observation-Disclosures com
munal, national-that can be changed.
But not by cut-anddried programs of
social reform; nor by reformers, codes,
ideals, or by our present System" of
education. Life itself is not system
affixed or standardized; it wants to
live, it wants to enjoy life. It has a
pain sense; it responds to love; above
all, it can learn. We start with that
equipment. Herein lies the significance
of the new conception of human be-
havior; the Importance of the task that
confronts the new psychology.
Organized society is-or should be
interested in socially serviceable be-
havior. Its problem is to control be-
havior for social ends and at the same
time give the individual freedom to
express and develop his innate ca
pacities for norma behavior This can
not be brought about by chance; there
will be delinquents, abnOrmals, sub
normals, as long as breeding grounds
for such are regarded as normal by
products of social organization.
Rational conduct is a dream. But
conduct freed of sordidness, of squal.
or, of haunting fears, of ungoverned
tempers, should be the possible fate
of every normal child. We can at
least make this better world for
children to be born into, and so alter
their environment that they need not
learn to lie, steal, murder, or commit
rape or bigamy, to succeed.
The seemingly infinitely large uni
verse is made up of the seemingly I'M
tinitely small units of eectrons. The
universe is what it is because of the
nature of their behavior under the
drive of energy. That same energy
drives us. The units of our social uni
verse are human individuals; it can
be nodded only as the individuals
themselves are nodded Living beings
are not elements, but reaction sys-
tens; their behavior can be nodded.
Ours is already set but 1t is not nee
essary that we condition our children
to the mold in which we hardened.
In the whole history of human
thought there has been voiced only one
rule of conduct of the slightest value
as standard for human behavior.
1t is applicable to individuals, families,
communities, cities, states and nations:
"As We would that men should do
to you. do ye also to them likewise"
But note that you and as individ-
uals can never get start on putting
the Golden Rule into practice until
we have set our own house in order.
When we strip our unethical and in
fantile hang-overs Of behavior of their
veneer of naturalization we are like.
~ to be astOunded. rs Watson points
out. at our susceptibility to flattery,
weakness, inadequacy, or lack of
knowledge, jealousy, fear of rivals,
fear of being made the scapegoat,"
and proneness to hurl criticism upon
others TO escape it ourselves The
first step in setting our house in order
is TO remove the beam from our own
eyes.
/ When human society starts to Drac.
tice the Golden Rule, II will Law n
foundation for civilization which no
Hood of passion can shake. Any other
conditioning OF our inherent nature
leaves us as we are-with an animal
nature modified only by man.made de.
vices TO satisfy living impulses as old
ID life itself Man Is the produc, of
"yoution, humanity must he the goal
human eu,lc;tynr
&c BY It0rs a. DoIsey)
WANTED;