Human Behavior

The concept of rejection does not correlate with what the person being rejected is, does, says, acts like, believes, etc. Rejection has nothing to do with whether the person makes mistakes, misbehaves, causes ill will, or does anything at all negative. As support for this view, consider how often we all reject others based on things like:

• race / skin color
• use of a different language
• use of a different language AND use of expressive communication (such as waving arms etc.)
• an accent
• the way a person is dressed
• whether a person is disabled or able-bodied
• whether a person has an obvious disability, such as a blind person who uses a stick
• a person who "acts crazy" or talks to themselves out loud
• students who are singled out, ostracized, or bullied
• men who are big, muscular, etc.
• people, especially women, who are less pretty or less perfect
• obese people

Races other than Caucasian often report that Caucasians purposely create distance. Black men are often distrusted simply because they are black. Studies show that Caucasian women will avoid walking close to a large male of any race, especially if the woman is alone.

Persons who use a different language are often ignored if others do not speak the same language. As an example, a 6-foot male is seen waving his arms, but he's speaking non-English and is ignored because other people fear him. However, the man was simply using excited expressive communication while trying to get help-- his wife is delivering a baby in the back seat! But passers-by simply keep keep walking, walk away faster, avoid eye contact, act busy, turn their backs, etc.

People who use wheelchairs are often never acknowledged. If an able-bodied person accompanies the wheelchair bound individual, other people speak to the able-bodied person but never even say "Hello" to the person in the wheelchair.

When people walk down the street, they purposely put distance between themselves and anyone they perceive as acting or talking "crazy". Studies have been done using a sane, educated, and otherwise "normal" person who only pretends to act as if he/she has schizophrenia. People will walk past, not look, not interact, not help the "actor" simply because people believe the person has a mental illness.

Studies have also been done to record how people react to two people: one obese and one not. Other studies recorded how people perceive perfection and beauty. These studies showed that many people react more favorably toward someone who is thin or normal weight, and perceived to be "more beautiful" than another test model. Obese people are ignored, or outright ridiculed. Less than attractive persons are ignored, not chosen (i.e. rejected) over more attractive persons of the same age.

In schools, millions of children become ostracized and rejected by their peers, even without bullying. As an example, a teenage group stands in the hall talking, laughing, etc. Another teen who wears out of fashion clothing, or is perceived as "different", or is new to the school approaches the group. The group quickly turn and walk away without even speaking to the other teen. This is a common form of rejection in schools throughout the US and other countries.

It is difficult to describe the present to some imaginary person in the future because they may not use the same language, currency (money), foods, access to food or other necessary products, clothing/attire, entertainment, etc. As some very general comments, life today could be described by saying:

• People live in dwellings called apartments or houses, which the person calls their home.
• People who have no home are called "the homeless" and sleep wherever they feel safe.
• Millions travel outside their homes to go to "work", where they do tasks in exchange for a salary /money.
• Money is the form of currency we use to buy products we need, including food.
• About 600 million people worldwide have a severe enough injury, illness, or impairment so that they are called "disabled". People with disabilities have a difficult time finding work; on average about 50 to 53% of all disabled cannot get work. This is largely due to discrimination.
• Discrimination means one person or groups of persons treats another person or groups differently and more negatively than the rest of society. Many groups experience discrimination based on their gender, race, skin color, age, disability or anything that makes them seem "different" from others.
• The world has many separate countries with their own rulers and governments.
• Governments try to take care of their poor or ill citizens but governments have overspent the available money.
• Billions of people are poor and hungry in the world.
• Billions of children and adults die because of the lack of treatment of very common illnesses and diseases.
• Many people get sick every day and every year, but not every can see a physician to help them get well.
• Money (currency) is often more important to many people than kindness, generosity, and helping other people.
• Many people have abandoned being outside and seeing nature in favor of staying inside their homes where they see or hear entertainment from boxes called stereos, radios, and televisions.
• Televisions receive transmissions of images and sound.
• Radios receive transmissions of sound only.
• Stereos and small music players play back sound that was captured previously onto disks or tapes called "media".
• Humans in several countries attempted space travel from the 1960s to 2011, but in the summer of 2011 the greatest and wealthiest nation, in the world, called The United States of America, decided it did not have enough money to continue going into space.
• Millions of people believe in space aliens, even though there has been no proof of "life" anywhere but on earth.
• One major discovery mission into space placed a large telescope into space, called the Hubble telescope. It's purpose has been to capture images and document discoveries in space to help scientists understand the universe better.
• Humans have long been in the electronic and technology age. As part of the technology, many companies put machines into space called satellites. Some of these have fallen out of orbit and fell to the earth.
• Because of human actions in space, humans have created "space junk" that orbits earth. Many people worry that one day parts of that junk will strike earth.
• Scientists also worried about asteroids that may one day strike earth.
• Humans have also polluted our planet with waste and "junk". The oceans and soil suffer from contaminants.
• People across the world believe in multiple religions, each with their own God, or Gods. One religion believes that very soon there will be a major calamity that will destroy humans and earth. Scientists disagree with these predictions.
• However, humans do suffer natural disasters in countries, regions, or cities. The earth contains plates that shift and cause earthquakes. Volcanoes at the tops of tall land forms called mountains, most of which are quiet and inactive, erupt and throw up gas, ash and lava. Some earthquakes cause waves of ocean water called tsunamis. Swirling winds that begin over oceans cause hurricanes. Rains cause floods and landslides. Every disaster can cause disease and deaths.
• That despite all the problems humans cause themselves and each other, we're a pretty hardy bunch. We don't give up easily and we keep trying.
• Most humans are intelligent; some are very intelligent and creative.
• And most importantly, if I'm telling these facts to someone in the future, I guess it means humans never ended up doing something really stupid that ended up killing us all. So, despite the violence in our societies, the hatred some people show, the ways some people bully others just to make the other person miserable, and despite all the problems humans have with just surviving, we weren't as stupid as some of us act sometimes. At least we managed to save one person as a messenger.... Or, perhaps all humans survived their lifetimes and I'm just practicing the outline for some chapters I'd write for a history book about our times...