What is natural human instinct? Let us break down its full meaning by definition. Natural means to be usual or expected: existing in nature, not made or caused by people; coming from natural. Being human is defined as: to or relating affecting people susceptible to or representative, of sympathies and frailties of human nature, such as inconsistency is very human. Instinct is you do something without learning it or thinking about it; a way of behaving, thinking, or feeling that is not learned. Instinct is a natural desire or a tendency that makes one act in a particular way. It is also a behavior that is mediated by reaction below the conscious level. It is largely inheritable, and unalterable, and tends to make complex and specific response to environmental stimuli without involving reason. Behavioral is a manner of conducting oneself. Put more simply, the meaning is by thought and by reaction, something that is not learned. So knowing this, how can it be human instinct to be cruel? A newborn is not cruel, but needy. The basic needs of a newborn would be love, guidance, and food. To me these are the simple facts to be cruel must be learned. How, when, or where, cruelty is learned; well this would be, individual to each person. At what point is something considered cruel. Cruelty is considered malice. Malice is a desire to cause harm, pain, injury, or distress to another person or thing. Maybe, it is not just black and white in every situation. One must believe that there is a neutral position in most situations, which we considered the grey area. If you had to hurt someone to protect yourself, or someone else, this is self-defense not cruelty, yet to a bystander with no facts, what they would see is cruelty. For example, you see two children playing, one is putting mud on the other whom is crying and asking for the other to stop but they don’t. In my eye’s this is cruel. Who would be to blame? In my opinion, the blame would be on the adults watching them. Children need to be told their actions are incorrect this is how they learn right from wrong. As my father always told me, “do unto others as you want them to do to you”. I’ve found this to be a good rule to live by. I am not saying I have never done anything that was not considered cruel. What I am saying is that I know how to say I am sorry when I have hurt someone. Human instinct is not natural it is taught. For instance, let us say there is a fire, and it is out of control. Over the roar of the fire, you hear people screaming for help and a child is crying. What is your first reaction? You have no phone to make that emergency call. Other people are just standing there. You choice would be do you do something to help, or choose to stand there also. According to Darley and Latane, “this is exactly what the average person will do...” “They might assume someone else will take care of it” (102). If they do something, they may make a fool of themselves. According to Darley and Latane, the critical phrase here is “possible danger.” “In clear danger, one is very aware of the danger.”(103) Lantane goes on to state; “But in most of life, and most emergencies, reside an unknown difficulty and are unclear. Emergencies are not fact but conscious construction.” (102) Darley and Latane conducted an experiment, which involved two college students. Several students were unaware of the events to take place while other had full disclosure. As the students were filling out some paper work, the experimenter put a smoke bomb in the air vent. The smoke was very noticeable. The actors were instructed to pay no attention to the smoke. A few got up to look in the vent but said nothing. The smoke, was so severe, and went on for so long, that it left a fine film on their hair and lips. Unbelievably only a few reported the smoke. This experiment was conduct