comment: >
  
  I agree. Always see comments like “faith in humanity restored” and stuff as if most people suck. 
  In general most people are decent and kind overall. 
  Not saying I’d expect the majority of your average person to sprint across a train track to save me when there is an extremely thin margin of their Survival as well, but just say to say norms in life, people are kind and respectful to each other. 
  To everyone else, we’re just another person like they are to us/I/you
context: Systemic and institutional cruelty are insanely common even if interpersonal one on one cruelty is somewhat rarer than kindness. People go around ignoring the obvious in those terms all day long >
  
  I'm not even sure how much I agree with my opinion up there. It sounds optimistic. I think cruelty cuts much deeper than kindness soothes us, most of the time. So cruelty can have a big impact for sure, and most kindnesses are simple things that just make our days a bit better. But kindness could save lives too. Yet it doesn't seem to register as a survival strategy, does it? But cruelty most certainly can register as a threat to survival, and in extreme cases does cost lives. >
  
  Most people are kind just the ones that aren't are more vocal >
  
  Could it be that kindness is usually quiet, but cruelty is often loud? >
  
  You have four wide categories of people generally with overlap between:
  1) the small circle -  they care about friends and family are generally apathetic to the rest of the world but are not unkind.  They neither help nor harm strangers.
  2) The Trapped in Their Own Minds -two diverse sorts in this one -  these are the people struggling so much all their energy goes into their own life with none left for anyone else and the narsissistic who see everyone else as accessories to their lives (thankfully a smaller category)
  3) The Helpers (Thanks to Mr. Rogers for the name) - these are the heroes that walk amongst us actively trying to make the world better overall.
  4) The Cruel - these are the people who like inflicting hurt on other people whether because they are angry and want everyone to be miserable, they enjoy the power rush, they want what they want and see no reason why they should care how it impacts others.
  Most people can be all of these at one point or another and mix and match to some degree.
  But lets be brutally honest, most of us are trying to get through our day in one piece and with sanity intact and are focused on our own lives and never notice what;s around us unless it directly impacts us.  Happily the truly cruel are few but their lethal impact is what we remember.