Pondering Empathy vs. Cruelty

Why Do People Make Cruel Choices? Understanding Psychology, Compassion — and Trusting Light in a Broken World

It’s a question that reverberates deep in the heart:

Why do some individuals choose cruelty—especially toward the most vulnerable: animals and children?

Whether triggered by disturbing news, social media, or personal encounters, harsh realities can shake our faith in humanity. For those attuned to suffering, the pain lingers and invites profound reflection—both psychological and spiritual.

1. What Drives Cruelty? A Psychological Perspective

Empathy isn’t guaranteed. Its roots lie in a complex interplay of biology, environment, and experience.

Some individuals, due to genetic, neurological, or traumatic factors, struggle with emotional empathy. Brain areas like the amygdala, insula, and prefrontal cortex may function differently among those who exhibit aggressive or unempathetic behavior, particularly in conditions such as antisocial personality disorder.

Yet cruelty is often a cycle—not just a neurological deficit. Those who have suffered abuse or neglect may replicate hurt. Others justify harm through cognitive distortions or cultural norms. At its core, cruelty often stems from a failure to connect—emotionally, morally, even with oneself.

2. Why Does God Allow This? Wrestling with the Spiritual Pain

For those who believe in a loving, omnipotent God, the persistence of suffering—especially of children and animals—poses a profound spiritual challenge.

Here are a few perspectives offered by theological traditions:

• Free Will: Love and moral action gain value through choice. Unfortunately, that same freedom permits cruelty.

• Brokenness of the World: Suffering may result not from God’s will, but from humanity's misalignment with divine intention.

• God Works Through People: Instead of direct intervention, many teachings emphasize that compassion, justice, and healing often come via people—possibly responding to God's call in action.

• Mystery and the Larger Story: Perhaps some truths remain hidden. Our role may be to fight cruelty and suffering even without seeing how everything fits into a divine tapestry.

3. Echoes of Wisdom from Voices of Depth

Here are some resonant quotes to deepen each layer of this exploration:

Caroline Myss

• “There is no such thing as a simple act of compassion or an inconsequential act of service. Everything we do for another person has infinite consequences.” A-Z Quotes

• “Healing is a different type of pain. It’s the pain of becoming aware of the power of one’s strength and weakness, of one’s capacity to love or do damage to oneself and to others…” Goodreads
  These words remind us: even small acts of compassion carry deep weight, and healing often begins with that inner reckoning.

Eckhart Tolle

• “If you had not suffered as you have, there would be no depth to you as a human being, no humility, no compassion.” A-Z QuotesGoodreads

• “Compassion is the awareness of a deep bond between yourself and all creatures.” QuoteFancy
  He illuminates how suffering, while painful, can soften us and awaken empathy—not as something arbitrary, but as a path toward connection.

The Dalai Lama

• “All suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their own happiness or satisfaction.” Goodreads

• “You must not hate those who do wrong or harmful things; but with compassion, you must do what you can to stop them — for they are harming themselves, as well as those who suffer from their actions.” Goodreads

• “Human beings will continue to deceive and overpower one another… The foundation of all spiritual practice is love.” A-Z Quotes
  These teachings guide us toward responding to wrongdoing—not with hatred, but with deep awareness and compassionate action.

4. Bridging the Worlds: Compassion as Counterbalance

• Psychologically, cruelty may arise from wounds, distorted perspectives, or lack of connection.

• Spiritually, many traditions suggest that evil persists because moral agency exists—and because transformation and healing often happen through us, not instead of us.

• Quotes from Myss, Tolle, and the Dalai Lama all point toward one unbeatable truth: compassion matters.

You, who feel deeply, who question why cruelty exists—your empathy matters more than you realize.

Every time you stand against violence—by protecting, advocating, mentoring—you are acting not just for others, but embodying a kind of divine response and psychological healing.

In Closing

The world may allow darkness—but it also births light through compassionate hearts. You may not stop all suffering, but your choices, big or small, ripple outward in unseen ways.