I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I recently read about a horrible incident that made me think seriously about humanity’s supposed goodness. In Richmond, California, a 15-year-old girl was gang raped by ten boys — some students and some not — behind her high school after the homecoming dance. Tragic as that is by itself, about 10-20 boys, who were not involved in the rape, watched and did nothing to help. In fact, they were watching were laughing and taking pictures.

Some commentators have claimed that this shows that kids are just much worse nowadays. Does it show that video games and street culture have warped our generation to become callous bystanders to horrific crimes? While that could be part of it, I believe that incidents like this remind us of the darkness that inhabits the human condition. It’s not that people are more violent now compared to the past — to assume that would be a mistake. Crimes of this level of repulsion and violence that it shocks us out of our complacence to remind us of what we, as a species, could be capable of. As horrible as this incident was, we should remember that in humanity’s past, gang rapes were not even thought of as bad, much less evil.

We have come a long way in society. We have secured rights for most of our population and have placed a high emphasis on the Kantian autonomy of the individual. We have a societal belief that someone or something is always watching over us not only as a species, but as a nation.

But rights are worthless unless there is a capable government of some sort to enforce them. What if all of our order and security was taken away? Would every street turn into the back alley of the high school in Richmond? Maybe not completely, but the world would be much darker indeed and such acts would become more than common.

The further tragedy that should have easily been prevented is that under California law, the bystanders will not be prosecuted. They would have had the book thrown at them if the girl was only a year younger. The best we can all do is to internalize and solidify what we think is good. It is not OK to take others for granted and to think of them as lower. If many of us think like that and society were to collapse, we could be looking at a very dark picture of humanity everywhere.

The best we can do to preserve civilization is to treat others with love. I know that sounds corny, but it is true. If you see someone in trouble, help them out. From big things like immediately reporting crimes to small gestures like opening the door for others you ned to show others that you are aware of their existence and worth as human beings. If you lose your love for your fellow man, then you are basically capable of anything.