“Can we all get along?”

This famous line (often misquoted) was poignantly spoken by Rodney King.   He was appealing for calm after the verdict in his police brutality trial that triggered the ’92 Los Angeles riot, a rampage that cost the city over $2 billion dollars. If you think anyone listened, just Google “Ferguson, Missouri.”

While Rodney was sincere, he wasn’t that original. When Jesus was pressured by his critics to prioritize the 10 commandments, this was His number two – “Love one another as you love yourself.” Every major world religion has some version of this in its mission statement.

The message has been repeated over and over for a very long time; everybody knows that. Whatever the reason, we are really bad at it. Technology may be on the verge of changing that.

A new study published in Current Biology may have the answer. The relationship between brain chemistry and problems like anxiety or depression has been well understood for some time, but researchers from the University of California appear to have identified a brain chemical that is related to compassion.

You seem a little hostile– did you take your pill this morning?