Already in the second year of life, children are ready, on their own initiative, to console an upset stranger, according to Paul Ekman, emeritus professor at the University of California, the creator of the “lie detection” system.
This time he addresses a new theme: “When compassion is felt for all people and this is the central concern in a person’s life, I call it global compassion.” He finds out why this ability develops in some and fades in others, and also suggests criteria for evaluating different emotions. If the manifestation of emotion promotes cooperation between the participants in the communication, and if this cooperation is useful for society, the emotion is constructive. If not, then it is destructive. “Even amusement should not always be considered a constructive emotion if it arises as a reaction to the humiliation of another person, mixed with ridicule or caused by it.”
Peter, 109 p.