Wired for Good
“And they brought unto him also infants, that he would touch them: but when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18: 15-17
Jesus told us 2000 years ago that infants reflected the purity and innocence of their Creator in ways that adults can only aspire to. Now we find that infants are also born to value the acts of selfless kindness that are a key part of Jesus theology.
Some Yale University researchers developed some clever experiments which demonstrated that 100% of six month olds and 87.5% of 10 months olds not only can recognize acts of charity, but also prefer those who have demonstrated that capability. The 10 month old babies could also tell the difference between those who were kind and those who were cruel, and would get upset if the victim later associated with the cruel character rather than the kind one.
I think it is wonderful to know that loving our neighbor as ourselves is a quality and sensitivity that every child is born with.
One can’t help but wonder what forces cause us to lose that natural and beautiful characteristic. What is it that causes us to distrust the good intentions of others and question their motivations? What is it that tempts us to categorize those that we don’t agree with or understand as threats to our way of life? How are we able to justify hurting others when we were born to love them?
If we take these experiments at face value, children can tell the difference between kindness and cruelty both in acts and people at a very early age. Perhaps every experience of cruelty erodes our childlike trust in the goodness of everyone.
Whatever the cause, it is also true that this experiment supports the Bible claim that God made man in His image and likeness. He make us wired to do good and appreciate every act of kindness that we witness. Clearly if we want to follow Jesus Christ the way shower, we have to rediscover that good in ourselves and our neighbor.
It all starts with what we now know is one of the most natural things we can do, a simple act of kindness.