Nothing seems to change

With what I have seen lately with the way the younger generation is acting, along with the seeming callous ways that people in general seem to treat each other, I was not surprised to come across this passage in Dennis Smith's seminal work on firefighting, Report from Engine Co. 82:

"I used to believe that the fundamental problems were housing and education, and that people would stop throwing rocks if they had a decent place to live and were given equal educational opportunities.  But I don't believe that anymore.  That, to me, is prescribing for symptoms.  The disease is more seriously latent, more pernicious than uncaring landlords, or bureaucratic, apathetic school officials.  The malignancy lies in the guts of humankind at all levels.  We have unlearned the value of a human life."

This book was published in 1972, and in some ways, still offers a look at what happens in the lower reaches of society.  The force of that statement still rings true to this day, and I wonder if we as human beings will really be able to change our society for the better.  I would like to believe so (I'm a hopeless optimist in that regard), but sometimes I really do wonder.