It might be childish but I have a favorite word. This word encompasses a big part of my cosmogony, my values, and my views of the word. The word is humane. The Cambridge dictionary defines humane as: showing kindness, care, and sympathy towards others, especially those who are suffering. Genius! Now, although being humane is something I strive for, I am just human. The human condition is marked by self-interest. To be humane crazy enough one needs to transcend being human!
Today is a day I feel this tension. Yesterday, news came that "Germany will offer vaccine booster shots starting in September". Awesome, my System 1 said. Today, the World Health Organization, our world's Type 2 processing unit during this pandemic said: "Stop giving out booster shots until more of the world is vaccinated".
My knee jerk-reaction was indeed self-interested, our world is battling a pandemic, and less than a month after being fully vaccinated, I was thrilled about the possibility of my next shot! Ah well, I might have spoken too early when I implied I had internalized being humane. If I am honest, it is more like what I strive to do in my best days. Alas, most days are by definition normal ones. You live, you learn, you strive for more.
PS: This was written on August 5th, 2021