If you’ve come across this article, chances are that your current levels of faith in humanity are at a record low.
Your belief in our species is waning.
But you haven’t given up hope.
If you’re looking for an explanation as to why you might be feeling this way, and for ways to change your outlook and regain a bit of the faith you once had, you’ve come to the right place.
This article starts by discussing a few of the reasons that people might legitimately start feeling down about the state of humanity.
Then it looks at what this loss of faith might be leading you to feel.
If any of it rings true for you, you’ll want to keep reading for some advice on how to alter your outlook, rebuild your faith in humanity, and start feeling generally more positive about the state of the world.
6 Reasons Why You Might Be Losing Faith In Humanity
Some people start feeling this way because of things happening in the world at large.
For others, it’s their personal interactions and experiences that bring about these feelings.
Or, it might be a big, complicated mix of all kinds of things.
Let’s have a look at some of the most common reasons why people lose faith in humanity.
1. You’ve watched the news
Okay, so this one might seem a bit pessimistic, but the majority of news is, as we all know, bad.
Bad news gets people watching and listening and clicking.
Good news isn’t as likely to make headlines.
If you follow the news closely, you might have started to feel a bit overwhelmed by all the negativity, struggling to understand how human beings can be capable of such awful things.
2. You’ve witnessed violence or cruelty first-hand
If you’ve been unlucky enough to witness an act of violence or cruelty against humans or animals or even the planet, then your brain might decide that that means all humans are evil.
3. You’ve been let down by someone you trusted
A friend, family member, or romantic partner failing you can really rock your foundations and your belief in the goodness of people.
Being abused, controlled, manipulated or lied to by someone close to you can be hard to handle.
It’s sometimes difficult to maintain your faith in humans as a species when one of your favorite humans has treated you badly.
4. You’ve been let down by the powers that be
It’s not just the people we’re closest to that can let us down.
We can also be disappointed by the behavior of governments or organizations that are meant to protect or advocate for us.
5. You’ve been conned
Sadly, there are plenty of con artists out there. If you’ve fallen victim to one, it can be hard to trust again.
6. You’ve experienced discrimination
If you’ve been the victim of disrespect or discrimination due to your beliefs or views, where you’re from, or your physical appearance, you may well be feeling pessimistic about the human race.
4 Things You Might Feel If You’re Losing Faith In Human Beings
This outlook on the state of humanity can stir up all kinds of negative feelings.
You might just experience one of these, or you might feel a whole cocktail of them all at once.
1. Hopelessness
If your faith in humanity is shaky, you probably haven’t got much hope for the future.
You’ll struggle to see a light at the end of humanity’s tunnel, let alone your own. This can lead to apathy or despair.
2. Anger
This is a pretty common reaction to a loss of faith in humanity.
You’re frustrated about the way that things are going and this manifests itself in directionless anger.
3. A sense of not belonging
If you have no faith in humanity as a whole, chances are that you don’t feel particularly connected with our species.
You might feel like an outsider, or like you’re on the outside looking in at all the madness.
4. A yearning for change
It might be that this loss of faith is manifesting itself in the desire to see a change in the world, and maybe even a drive to make that change happen yourself.
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7 Ways To Restore Your Faith In Humanity
Now it’s time for the more optimistic section of this article.
After all, although these feelings can be somewhat justified and unavoidable, they aren’t helpful or constructive, and we shouldn’t hold on to them.
They won’t solve your problems or humanity’s problems as a whole.
All they’re going to do is get you down and prevent you from building healthy relationships and having a positive impact on the world.
So, if and when you experience these emotions, it’s important to know how to process them and how to restore your faith in humanity, for everyone’s sake.
1. Treat other people as you’d like to be treated
You can’t always control what happens in the world and to you, but you can control how you respond to things, and how you treat those around you.
You’re bound to slip up and make mistakes with this, because no one’s perfect, but the main thing is to try.
If you treat other people with respect, compassion, and dignity, chances are you’ll get it back many times over.
2. Actively seek out good news
We tend to just sit back and let news come to us, rather than going out and seeking it ourselves.
And the biggest stories are always going to be the bad ones.
Make an active point of ensuring the news you consume is more balanced, seeking out good news stories.
Simply googling that very phrase, ‘good news stories,’ could unlock a whole world of wonderful news that you’ve never even realized is there.
3. Don’t share negativity on social media
Moaning about the state of the world on social media or arguing with people that disagree with you isn’t going to achieve anything, or change anyone’s mind.
Instead, share positive stories about things that humans are doing and achieving.
Good news doesn’t normally reach anywhere near as far as bad news, so do what you can to magnify it.
4. Spend time with children
Children can be a breath of fresh air, seeing things for what they truly are with no bitterness or cynicism.
It can be extremely refreshing to see things through their eyes, noticing the beauty and joy, rather than viewing everything through a jaded haze.
5. Volunteer
Something that can really put your life into perspective is actively helping those who have it far worse than you do.
Spending time around people who have had a tough life but are still passionate and optimistic is the perfect way to start seeing your own situation, and the world as a whole, through different eyes.
You might be helping others, but you’re probably the one that will benefit the most. You’ll realize that, underneath it all, human beings are incredible and resilient, and that no one is all good or all bad.
6. Make gratitude a focus
You might find it extremely beneficial to write a gratitude journal. Many people do.
But even if you don’t want to write down what you’re grateful for, consciously making the effort to acknowledge all the things that other humans do for you every single day can really shift your focus.
From a stranger helping you carry a heavy suitcase up a flight of stairs to your mother ringing you to tell you how proud she is of you, be grateful.
Suddenly you’ll start to appreciate all the things, big and small, that your fellow humans do for you, and when you’re focusing on that every day, it’s tough to be too negative about humanity.
7. Be more trusting
Trust that your friend will return a book you lend them. The more faith you put in people, the more likely they are to live up to it, being grateful for your trust and returning it.
Make trust your default, without losing your common sense.
If alarm bells go off, listen to them, but try not to let negative stories convince you that your charity donation won’t be used for good, or that the money you give to a homeless person will be spent on drugs, not a bed for the night.
Be generous with your time, money, and material possessions.
Mahatma Gandhi once said:
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty”.
As bad as things might sometimes seem, there is so much good in the world.
It’s just a matter of choosing to make that goodness your focus, celebrating all the wonderful things that human beings do every single day, and, above all, being kind to others and to yourself.
Do these things and your faith in humanity will be restored.
