I am always surprised at the reaction when i tell people that humans are hard wired for altruism, and that people feel better giving than receiving. Even if the neurological case may not be convincing for some, few would doubt how difficult this existence on earth is.  If it is this hard for modern humans to survive this tech aided world, imagine  how are it  was for small tribes of proto-humans. A neanderthal was not an island, and the culture of giving and socialization is a key aspect to our evolution. We are social altruistic beings. I spent only a few months working at home, and i felt wrong for months after. Don’t get me started on working in a lab.

You can imagine how i felt when i saw the first few lines of this recent New yorker article:

Human beings are social creatures. We are social not just in the trivial sense that we like company, and not just in the obvious sense that we each depend on others. We are social in a more elemental way: simply to exist as a normal human being requires interaction with other people.

Ok, you got me. What follows is the gripping and well thought out argument against the use of solitary confinement in the american penal system. The numbers are there to do away with it. The testimonies are there calling it torture (in john mccain’s words, the worst part of his vietnamese experience.) Other countries have found ways to do without it. I know for some, it’s hard to make the case for criminals. But how important is the statement “cruel and unusual punishment” for them? And what is the purpose of jail?  Is it to punish for a crime? I think losing one’s freedom is a pretty steep punishment. Is it to keep us safe by removing threats from our communities. Ok, but for most people in jail, they are slated to return to our communities. Read what solitary confinement does to a person who may return after serving their time in jail.