I used this extreme example because the scientific article that @valued-customer referred to in his post was a scientific study of the brain and the areas involved. Human beings are certainly not this cut and dried.

We do project our egos onto every situation, especially when we judge. This is part of our survival mechanism. In extreme cases of altruism, that discernment gets suspended. The man who throws himself on a grenade to save his comrades does it instinctively. Those who don't jump are saved while the one who jumped is deleted from the gene pool. The psychopathic general who gave the order to go into battle, kicks back and has a shot of whiskey and calculates his next move while the psychopathic politicians who instigated the conflict are trysting their secretary in a beach-front condo back home.

In my opinion, the investigation and examination of my reality cannot take place via the media, but through my connection with what I believe to recognize in my own power of action. For me, the proof that I live out both selfish and helpful parts of my fellow human beings and myself and that I am aware of this is a good indicator of my mental health.

Exactly right. This is the middle path. We look inward to discover our motivations before we act. Anything else is insanity and a shirking of our responsibility to be human. This is why we have higher brain function, to become aware of our motivations.

Media is not reality. It is only a slice of propaganda, someone else's agenda to be examined and dissected to reveal its hidden message.