The human brain is irrefutably the most developed of all living creatures on Earth. The brains of primitive organisms such as reptiles, on the other hand, are composed of the cerebellum, brainstem, and the cerebral limbic system. They were threatening toward strong aggressors and sometimes restrained; they became excited at the sight of the prey, bared their fangs and claws, bit and ate; or they became excited at the sight of the opposite sex, drew near and attempted coitus. In other words, these actions were a far cry from what we would call emotions. But the human brain has a cerebrum with a cortex divided into right and left sides. The left side controls the intellect and reason, and the right side is responsible for instincts and the range of emotions.

　And yet, for all their intellect, reason, instincts, and emotions, when you give a human child a dragonfly, they will not hesitate to rip off the head, wings, and tail and kill it. Give the child a frog, and they will not feel the slightest pang of guilt when tearing off the legs and stomping it to death.

　Why is this so? The answer is simple. The cerebral cortex is limited by an inability to learn unless it has experiences or is taught things. If you understand this, it becomes obvious why young people today can meaninglessly and ruthlessly commit murder, or why they run rampant without being able to distinguish between right and wrong. In other words, it is directly related to the fact that education for today’s youth stresses intellectual and physical training, but is conspicuously lacking in the kind of moral training that teaches compassion, charity, a sense of duty, and the importance of love and mercy.

　This problem stems from a decision by the Japan Teachers’ Union, after Japan’s defeat in World War II, to not include moral education on the grounds that it would lead to a revival of national militarism. Just like other weak animals, however, humans tend to live in groups and need rules to maintain order. Those rules include not only laws, but also the morals, sense of duty, compassion, tenderness, love, and mercy that are particular to human conduct. Why didn’t they teach these things when they are so indispensable to humanity?