Sam Liebeskind

Though people aren’t rational, I believe everyone is reasonable. As in, they always have their reasons, and those reasons always make sense within their worldview. More often than not, I wouldn’t do what someone else does — because I’m not them. But if I can understand the circumstances through which someone lives and sees the world, then I can beg... See more

So we might all have the same needs, but the superficial markers for how we achieve these desires look very different. This is where people start misunderstanding one another, fighting. But these little big differences, our individual personality phenotypes, is where things get interesting.

If this essay was one sentence, it would be: I befriend people easily because I run around the world believing that we are all more or less the same. Meeting someone new feels like a puzzle of empathy– a game of commonality. I ask myself: if I had their background, their values, their limitations and longings, what would I think? What would I want?... See more

Gavin de Becker argues that beneath even the most violent acts lie fundamental, universal desires — the need to feel loved, respected, seen. Twist those desires through a series of nonstandard deviations, and violence can follow (FYI readers on the internet– I am not condoning or excusing violence). But what struck me most was not the danger, but t... See more