Boys' brains are being digitally rewired for change, novelty, excitement and constant arousal. That means they're totally out of sync in traditional classes, which are analog, static, interactively passive.
Philip ZimbardoRead
Before I knew that a man could kill a man, because it happens all the time. Now I know that even the person with whom you've shared food, or whom you've slept, even he can kill you with no trouble. The closest neighbor can kill you with his teeth: that is what I have Learned since the genocide, and my eyes no longer gaze the same on the face of the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the profound distrust and disillusionment that arises from witnessing extreme human violence, suggesting that even those who seem close can betray us.
Philip Zimbardo's quote reflects on the traumatic realization that well-known individuals, like friends or even intimate partners, are capable of extreme betrayal and violence. Through the lens of personal experience, particularly in the context of genocide, Zimbardo conveys the loss of innocence and the unsettling awareness that human relationships can mask deep brutality. This transformation in perception profoundly alters one's worldview, emphasizing a shift from trust to suspicion in human connections.
Themes
BetrayalTrustViolenceGenocideHumanityRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impacts of war on society, this quote could illustrate how trauma alters trust.
More from Philip Zimbardo
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Time perspective is one of the most powerful influences on all of human behavior. We're trying to show how people become biased to being exclusively past-, present- or future-oriented.
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Many cults start off with high ideals that get corrupted by leaders or their board of advisors who become power-hungry and dominate and control members' lives. No group with high ideals starts off as a 'cult'; they become one when their errant ways are exposed.
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Heroes are Ordinary People whose social action is Extra-Ordinary/ who ACT when others are passive, who give up EGO-centrism for SOCIO-centrism.
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Bullies may be the perpetrators of evil, but it is the evil of passivity of all those who know what is happening and never intervene that perpetuates such abuse.
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