Against everything sits at the center of this dementia and brain health question.
How did we get to a place where it feels like we’re against everything—and even each other? It’s not something that happened overnight. It’s a story woven through history, society, and human nature itself.
From the start, humans organized themselves into groups. These groups were based on things like family ties, shared resources, or common goals. But as societies grew bigger and more complex, these groups began to form layers—some people had more power, wealth, or status than others. This layering is called social stratification. It means society is divided into different classes or ranks where some have advantages and others face disadvantages.
This division created competition for resources and survival. When you’re in a group with limited opportunities—like jobs, education, or land—you naturally compete with others outside your group to secure what you need. Over time this competition hardened into conflict between social classes: the wealthy versus the working class; those with privilege versus those without.
Colonialism made this worse by imposing new hierarchies on entire populations around the world—disrupting traditional ways of life and creating deep inequalities that still exist today. Globalization has added another layer by connecting economies but also widening gaps between rich and poor globally.
Because of these divisions and struggles over resources and power, people learned to see “the other” as an opponent rather than an ally—even when they share many common interests or values. Differences in race, gender identity, religion, political beliefs—all became markers that separate us instead of unite us.
Social media amplifies this effect by creating echo chambers where we mostly hear opinions similar to our own while demonizing opposing views quickly spreads anger instead of understanding.
So how did we learn to be against everything—including each other? We inherited systems built on inequality that encourage rivalry over cooperation; we live in a world shaped by historical forces like colonialism; we are influenced daily by environments that reward division rather than unity; all while human nature itself can lean toward protecting one’s own group first.
The result is a society where suspicion grows easily between neighbors who might otherwise support one another if given the chance—and where being “against” something becomes easier than finding common ground for change together.
For more, see Alzheimer’s Association — caregiving.
