Learning how to behave
Most people are unaware they possess a quite remarkable skill, (0) ... because it is exercised daily, and in the most ordinary of contexts. But without it, our lives would be unfulfilled and empty. It is the ability to relate to others, to engage them in conversation, to operate as social and sociable individuals and to develop both short-term and long-term relationships (1) .... We are not born with this ability. There is nothing wired into the human brain (2) .... To perform effectively in a world (3) ..., encounters and relationships, we have to learn what to do. Small babies, as any parent will remember, are among the least sociable beings (4) .... They are totally demanding, utterly selfish and scream with rage if their every whim is not immediately satisfied. Somehow this unlikely raw material is transformed over the years into a being (5) ... on being able to form reciprocal bonds with others and to follow complex rules (6) .... The monstrous infant becomes the caring, responsible adult whose life experiences revolve around both the joys and pains, and the giving and receiving, of friendships and other relationships. It is this remarkable transformation which is the central characteristic of being human.
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