Scottish musician Lauren Mayberry is most known for being the lead vocalist for the indie-pop group Chvrches. She frequently reflects on many facets of life and human nature in interviews and on social media. One of her most noteworthy observations is that people's behavior toward other people is frequently motivated by their own hurt or suffering.
Consider a chain reaction in which a single link is pulled, and as the force passes through it, each subsequent link falls. In a similar vein, Mayberry contends that people often act cruelly toward others because they have gone through some kind of hardship or suffering themselves. This idea suggests that negative behavior is a sign of more serious problems rather than a singular occurrence.
The quote discusses how human suffering is cyclical and how negative emotions can spread like water droplets along a chain from one person to another. A never-ending cycle of negativity can result from someone getting hurt and then lashing out at other people. Then, the question is, is there a point at which this spiral ends?
Mayberry also talks about how thinking about these cycles can make you feel depressed. When one realizes how ingrained these patterns are in society, one feels depressed and hopeless. This sentiment emphasizes how intricate human relationships are and how intertwined our emotional lives are.
We may develop empathy for those who act cruelly or badly if we realize that hurt people frequently hurt other people. In order to break negative cycles and work toward more positive outcomes in interpersonal relationships and communities at large, empathy can be a good place to start.