Chapter Six: Ourselves and Society
Understanding Ourselves within Society—Power Within
We can lose ourselves if we follow others in what they perceive we are and how they think we should be. We must not limit ourselves to the expectations of others. We must also be cautious of becoming stranded in our own perceptions, for when we do, we can fall into the falsehood of trying to seek solace or validation from others. Remember, we can be but figments of the imaginations and preconceived perceptions of others. Often, our greatest limitations are the perceptions of another.
But I ask, when it comes to our limitations, what prevents us more from succeeding: how others see our limitations or how we see our own limitations? Worse than succumbing to the negative views of how others believe we should be is succumbing to the negative views of how we ourselves believe we should be. We can often be hostages of our own minds and preconceived limitations. Often, the greatest difficulties in overcoming our obstacles are not the obstacles themselves but the perceptions of our limitations, not only by others, but also ourselves. We should ask ourselves, “Am I a prisoner more because of my own mind than because of the minds of others?” Meaning, are our perceived limitations placed more by ourselves than by others? Why is it that we can so easily travel in the shadows on the “railroad of life,” trapped in a “boxcar of our own psyche,” and only look out at the light as the world passes by?
Sometimes, I wonder if our own endeavors in life are helpful or hindering, blocking, or even distracting from our goals or success. Can our endeavors even guide us away from our success? Meaning, can the things we do in life to succeed be possibly in reality leading us away from success? I also sometimes wonder if we are afraid of the failure that is found within success. Are we afraid that in order to succeed in one particular area we may have to forgo success in other areas—thus succeeding in one that we wished to accomplish, but leading to the failure of others? Can we sometimes sabotage ourselves so we will not succeed in a particular area? Perhaps we subconsciously sabotage ourselves because we are worried about failing in other areas in the pursuit of that one particular area. Or do we even subconsciously sabotage ourselves in that one particular area because we are afraid of not being able to succeed? To this I say, we must succeed despite our own endeavors. Also, we must not let fear be our primary motivator.
We are often content with merely scratching the surface of who are and what we can do; we can be content to live out our lives like hermits, within our own little worlds, within our own minds. Sometimes we avoid looking at our true selves; we look at ourselves as if we were someone else looking through glass doors from the outside. We sometimes can be only images of ourselves; we have possibilities that we could not even imagine.
Within all of us lies the “power.” We all have this inner force that pushes us forward. This force pushes us constantly. This force is neither evil nor good. It is neither right nor wrong. It is neither pleasurable nor painful. Sometimes this force pushes us toward what we should do and other times it pushes us toward what we should not do. Sometimes both or neither. It is the human drive. We all have this “power.” It is just a matter of tapping into this energy and keeping the changes to ourselves under control, so they do not rage like a wildfire out of the path of the intended purpose and consume everything in our way. How we use this great energy can be good, evil, right, or wrong. When we are able to properly guide this energy that is found within ourselves toward completely peaceful and productive purposes, then we will finally be able to be at one with the universe, life, or that which created all.
Understanding Ourselves within Society—Our Actions
I believe violence and control of others are taught in words as well as actions. I also believe control of others is a form of violence, even if it may sometimes appear to be a mild form. And violence is not only used for control of others, but control of others is itself a type of violence. Each is interlocked with and dependent on the other. Violence and control can be virtually one and the same. In the world of today, we need to take the necessary—and only the necessary—steps to neither be controlled by others nor control others ourselves.
Whether people like to admit it or not, human society still has natural instincts of control and/or violence that it exerts on other people in general and the world we inhabit. Over the many centuries and millenniums, humans have increasingly turned to other methods of control rather than actual brute physical domination, methods such as the various types of social control or social manipulation. Physical control is however still an ingrained part of our world, especially on a personal level. While most of us openly detest this form of control, many of us tend to ignore or grudgingly accept the other forms of violence and control that do not involve physical domination, such as social manipulation. Do we think this new kind of control makes humans more civilized than our ancient ancestors were? We must ask ourselves, What does “civilized” mean to each of us? So, we must each ask ourselves, What is civilized? Perhaps what is and what isn’t civilized is in the eye of the citizen. Perhaps our ancient ancestors would have viewed our world as violent due to our ability and predilection to create atrocities, war, and death on a massive scale that is impersonal and easily done. We can commit such acts with feelings of dissociation, but with the same results. We merely have to push a button, and never look into the eyes of the victims as we figuratively push the blade in.
Understanding Ourselves within Society—Examination
Humans have survived thus far as predators by nature, yet at the same time humans have intellect and compassion. Most of us have been fortunate enough to have enough intellect and compassion to suppress or eliminate many of our inherited destructive primal instincts. This is not to say that those instincts are completely gone; some, such as our instincts for self-preservation, may still lie beneath. It is just that many of us have taught ourselves to suppress or eliminate what we perceive to be negative aspects. We must be careful; not all are born with what we would consider to be the positive naturally inherited instincts for survival and advancement of the species. We must not assume that all are born with all of the positive “stereotypical instincts” that contribute to the survival of all. But there is still hope when we hear of a parent sacrificing themselves for their child. However, I still wonder sometimes what instincts are in control of those actions or motivations.
The intellect of survival and compassion can be intertwined and has given some humans compassion for other species and, more importantly, compassion for other humans. The vicious instinct of violence and control is in constant battle with intellect and compassion. And sometimes our intellect is what gives us our compassion. Many of us are not so different from each other.
I do not believe humans are naturally or purely “good” or “evil.” I believe nothing corporeal can be naturally and completely good or evil. However, how we act upon our emotions, with our available knowledge and abilities, can be considered as certain degrees of good or evil. Instincts are not evil or good; they are merely and only instincts. However, if we can control our instincts and we are still being unnecessarily violent or destructive, then perhaps we are doing evil. I believe humankind has also corrupted the definitions of evil and good by making them concepts by which we judge and justify our own actions and the actions of others. We have corrupted the true definitions of good and evil by human judgment and partiality.
Many people have had thoughts at one time or another that they themselves may not consider to be violent, but which in the mind of another may be so. But I must have faith that most of us strive to be pacifists at heart and are capable of thinking through a problem logically without resorting first to violence. Thus, we are capable of not acting upon our primal instincts of following through with one of the many different forms of violence, including control, as we or even as another person may define it. Everyone has had a violent thought (including violence in the form of control), even if only as defined in the mind of another person. In our mind, what we are thinking may not be violent or may even be considered justifiable; however, to someone else it may be considered a violent or unjustifiable thought. Our intellect may be strong enough that our “violent thought” is insignificant or suppressed so much that it does not affect our decisions to a significant degree or even surface within our conscious mind. But it may still be there. If we have “violent thoughts,” it does not necessarily mean that we are violent or may act violently. If we have anger in our heart, it does not necessarily mean that we are bad or angry or will resort to violence; it means that we are human.
It is certain that our passions and desires can have the ability to become increasingly destructive. So, we must learn to better control them before they go from “holding us back” to “taking us back.” That is, before they do not just prevent us from succeeding but actually cause us to recede. But because we must be realistic when it comes to our societies and humanity as a whole, the use of force may unfortunately be necessary at times for defense. But, if we must use force to protect ourselves, we must make the honest attempt to use adequate but minimal force. Remember, might does not make right. But we must not completely blame the people who still use violence and control over others for their own problems. I blame all of us for these problems, because we all have had a part in creating them and it will take all of us to help fix them. We must also examine why violent behavior is acceptable. Why do we fight as a species? Animals fight and kill others of their own species over basic survival needs and sometimes procreation. We fight and kill our own species for both of those reasons, and more. When we are wounded like animals, we can become like animals. When we as a species can openly admit that we have the potential for violence under the right circumstances, then maybe we can follow the road to eliminating violence and the negative types of control. Until we as a species are completely able to keep our instincts from being such motivating factors in our everyday lives, we will never be able to move beyond where we are as a society and move into another stage of society. We are often the main cause of our own misfortunes. The largest barriers to the survival and growth of our species are often the best aspects of our species. When we consider ourselves and see that on a completely personal level and on a worldwide societal level we can have the potential for violence and the negative types of control, then we can begin to evolve past the need to use violence and negative types of control. When we realize that what we are doing may be wrong, our illusions about ourselves will collapse, and we can address the threats we pose to ourselves. What hell can spring from the deepest, darkest pools of the human mind? Hell can sometimes be a picnic compared to that which can lurk in the mind of man.
But we must not forget the positive side of that statement. The positive is that unknown potential lurks in the mind of humanity. It is for this reason that I would take the mind over a gun any day. Because the mind invented the gun. Our propensity is a duality of a double-edged sword surrounded by destruction and creation. Going on this assumption, if our instincts are a double-edged sword then in losing one edge we may lose the other. So, I ask, When does eliminating our disadvantages become a disadvantage in itself? It is not in our best interest to completely forget our instincts for survival. In this quandary, I personally choose to seek the creative side of our instincts.
Understanding Ourselves within Society—Reflection
Sometimes in the flashing moments in my mind, while attempting to understand each of our places in society, I find myself sarcastically wondering if perhaps the difference between those who are found to be insane and those who are not is the former have yet to discover how to fake sanity. We all can have the potential to drift into our own versions of insanity; insanity in the sense of doing what others may consider to be irresponsible behavior. Irresponsibility both intentionally and unintentionally does accumulate and reproduce. In my opinion, because of this, there can often an “insanity of inhumanity” prevalent in the world. By this I refer to not accepting but still tolerating evil in the world. I personally believe it is time to stop the insanity of inhumanity. Let us not make life a seemingly endless fantasy, only silenced by the reality of the cries from the children of humanity. Again, I suggest that we must consider why so much behavior that is harmful to our survival and our ability to flourish is considered acceptable. If it turns out that the ones who reject such behavior are crazy or unrealistic, what does that say about the rest of the world? Offhandedly I sometimes wonder if it would not be better to be insane and not just seeing with open eyes. For if I am truly sane, then the atrocities of the world are real. If the majority of the world is considered to be sane with all of its closed-mindedness, hatred, exercise of control over others, self-centeredness, greed, cruelty, and depravity—if we consider this normal—then what a frightening world we live in indeed, as we free-fall into the future. Thus, it is sometimes a most frightening thought that we are the sane ones. It can be a beautiful thing to know that we are not crazy, but what a terrible responsibility it is. Normality can however change with the times. The acceptance of some of our new normalities, the continued acceptance of past normalities, and those normalities that we have accepted in the past all have the potential to be considered sane and insane. We can have the tendency to distinguish between insanity and sanity by what is expected of us in the contemporary time. Many of our current beliefs and concepts of sanity, truth, and morality are defined only by our current understandings or perceptions.
Perhaps, if one does view the whole world as an asylum, then it may be best to blend in and pretend to be a patient. I personally on occasion try seeking a place that is non-obtrusive, neither here nor there, or anywhere. Sometimes we can survive by being inconspicuous or non-threatening; a power of one. Yet, some perceive themselves as existing in and affecting only that which they know of as their immediate, daily lives. According to some, those people could be perceived as living in a world of non-existence. They exist in a world of non-existence in the sense that they comprehend themselves as more separate from the world than they actually are. Such a person may see themselves as an afterthought of the world they inhabit or even completely separate or disconnected from the world. We must not forget that we ourselves often create the world around us. This is why as we all live our lives out, I must reask myself the question, Is my world an illusion or am I simply disillusioned by my world? Is my world an illusion in the sense that I can live out my life within my own version of reality? Am I just fooling myself that this is just the way it is? Am I part of my illusion as you are a part of yours? Are we all just helping one another in deluding ourselves into perceptions of reality? I wonder if we can be only images of ourselves, images defined in our perceptions. Can we also be nothing but playthings to our imaginations? Is what we feel real or delusions we wish to accept in order to protect, represent, or promote ourselves? This is why for the sake of ourselves and the sake of others we must take an honest look inside ourselves.
We can only understand ourselves to a certain point before we must take time to understand others on their own ground, so that we may even better understand ourselves. We must be careful in life so that we do not become greedy, self-absorbed, arrogant, or closed-minded. Greed, overindulgence, and similar traits are weakness. Being self-absorbed leaves us blind to the outside. It saddens me that many people cannot see, or refuse to see, all of the pain in the world, while others see but still let it happen. They ignore all of the hunger, death, and disease—just to name some of the pain and misdeeds. They ignore them not just in certain parts of the world, but everywhere else in the world. It happens in all parts of the world in some form or to some degree, but more in some places than others due to our complacency. Unfortunately, in some instances, it takes more strength to put up with it or fight it than it does to run away. These are situations that we cannot afford to allow to continue. This complacency, even about the lesser forms of suffering that are found in our everyday lives, allows other forms of the insanity of inhumanity to continue and flourish.
Truths
If one person and another are both doing what each feels is in the best interest of all, and their views conflict with each other, they both could still have good intentions. In reality, it could be debatable who really knows what is in the best interest of all and which course of action will really lead to the best solution for all in the end. After all, none of us knows the best answer; we are only human. If any of us truly and honestly knew the correct answer to anything with 100 percent certainty, I would hope that we would admit it ourselves because admitting it to ourselves can sometimes be more difficult than convincing others. But recognizing the truth is not easy either; if we knew what truth looked like, then we would have already known what it is. We must be careful, because we can sometimes discount or ignore the answer when we do have it. Sometimes the question can tell us more than the answer itself. Other times, the reexamination or restructuring of the answer can reveal even more. For example, turning the answer into a statement can open up more possibilities. But not all is lost; there is hope in this confusion. We still must continue our search; for sometimes in searching for our answer, it may find us. We may not be able to find the truth of life; the truth may have to find us. In searching for the truth, we allow it to be more able to find us.
But unfortunately, we live in a world where the truth matters not—only what each believes. We have become a society that can delude ourselves by searching out and grasping at extreme and farfetched conclusions if they support our beliefs, rather than accepting the overwhelmingly obvious and well-supported facts. Individuals and even societies can easily discard those overwhelmingly supported and numerous facts if they do not support their beliefs. In our current world, and with our new abilities, the results of this have become increasingly dangerous and thus important not to ignore. Therefore, we must be careful when we tend to look for facts that support our opinions and disregard or devalue those facts that do not. Perhaps, it is best to listen to all but believe no one completely. Unfortunately, the awareness of cynicism is becoming even more important in the world of today. Perhaps we should see everything, but not believe everything, listen with our ears and hear with our hearts, and remember that nothing worldly is an absolute truth, nothing worldly is an absolute lie, and there is some truth in everything.
There are many truths in the world. There are some we may consider to be “certain truths” that may yet contradict one another. If we truly explored the original roots of certain contradictory truths, the cores of those truths sometimes support one another. They can be simply different sides of the same equation. We must be cautious of those who would use the cores of those truths or a grain of truth to support an inaccurate conclusion. We must be cautious of those who will twist or manipulate the truth, tell half-truths, or lie by using that grain of truth or core of truth to prove something contrary to the reality of the situation. We must instill the tools and abilities in people so they may search, discern, compile, and analyze facts for themselves in order to incorporate those facts into their set of beliefs. Remember, some truths can be a matter of human perspective. A modern example would be that of a person seeing a vehicle seemingly irresponsibly swerve into the middle of the road, causing a collision. Yes, it is true that a witness may see that vehicle as being at fault for causing the collision. And it is true that vehicle did cause the collision. However, another witness looking from the opposite direction may have seen that the vehicle swerved to avoid a person lying in the middle of the road.
Many people have found a truth that applies to them. Their beliefs are completely accurate in the terms of their life and their world. Your truth is completely accurate in the terms of your life and your world. In your eyes, it is the truth. I do not deny your truth. I do not know what is right for you. But in the eyes of another, it may not be the truth. Nevertheless, your truth is still your truth. In the respect of truth, we must not only be true to others, but also be true to ourselves. We must have truth for ourselves.
The truth, no matter how bad or good, must be told. But that does not mean you have to be malicious. The truth must be told. There must be a time of no more lies. Those who know the truth, yet do nothing, are not innocent. Why must those who feel that they know best keep others in ignorance? Is it because they believe that others cannot handle the truth, or is it because they fear that those others can? Hiding the truth, no matter the reason, is still hiding the truth. People must have all the available information to make a properly informed decision. Before we purposely hide information about a particular truth, we must ask ourselves, Who are we to decide what information may distort the perspective of another? Who are we to decide what information people should have to make an informed decision? Yes, it is true that people can be unduly influenced. However, we need to have faith that most people are not complete idiots. We must also keep in mind that the telling of the truth may not be easy or accepted. Sometimes, we will not like the truth. Sometimes, we may not accept it. Nevertheless, the truth is the truth. So, how chilling the truth can be. We must remember that truth is a result of understanding. Yes, it is always more prudent to see for ourselves rather than trust in blind faith. We must see for ourselves. But I sometimes think, Do I really know or believe what I see, and if the truth were a person would it really care that I believed? Yes, I do believe what I see; however, at times I do not want to believe it. Other times, we do not always recognize the truth when we first see it. But in the end, let it be said: Truth above all else. And the truth is within our grasps. One of my favorite quotes as a child was a quote attributed to George Orwell: “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” My own quote on this is: Sometimes the only thing more frightening than a lie is the truth.
Protecting the Naïveté within Ourselves
I believe naïveté within ourselves, in some way, is what gives us our edge. Naïveté is what helps people daydream, and daydreams can not only help us get through the day but also help us to aspire for more, have hope, and work for the future. Without daydreams there would be no hope. Without hope there would be no planning for the future. Without planning for the future there would be nothing to look forward to in the future. Thus, there would be no future. When we are naïve, we can have a significantly different attitude going into a situation. When we have naïveté in our hearts, we do not realize or easily accept the difficult or seemingly impossible obstacles that face us. With the naïve attitude in our hearts, the defeatist attitude within us is diminished or non-existent. Without the defeatist attitude, we tend to have greater prospects of hope for the future. And greater prospects of hope for the future can give us hope in our minds in the present. As long as people are naïve in their hearts and hopeful in their minds, there is hope for the future. There is hope for the future because our world believes it has a greater chance to live, grow, and learn. When we become jaded or develop a closed-minded attitude, it is harder for us to grow and learn. We all must grow and learn in order to survive. Without learning we become stagnant and can no longer adapt. No matter what we believe in, without hope or the belief that “we can do it,” even if “it” is only survival, we would cease to advance, or even possibly to exist. Sometimes hope is all we have.
When we begin to more willingly accept the impossible or improbable as limitations, then we can begin to accept our own limitations and those others may place upon us. As our view of the world becomes more realistic, we begin to not only realize our perceived limitations but also become more willing to accept those perceived limitations from ourselves and others. Thus, we may begin to stop even trying. When we stop trying, those options that never would have appeared to us before begin to disappear. Practicality becomes dangerous to our future when possibilities begin to disappear. If naïveté and naïve people begin to die, then their dreams die along with hope for the future. So, if I am naïve, then I am glad to be naïve because it means that I still have hope and belief in a better world, and that I will act accordingly and not give in to the acceptance of a “why even try” attitude. So, in that respect, I am proud to be naïve.
Yes, people will take advantage of others when they can, because we have created a world where it is expected that people will take from and feed upon others. When we feed, we can open ourselves up to the same danger of being fed upon. I personally try not to take advantage of others for my own benefit. For this, along with my other beliefs, people at times have called me naïve. However, being naïve is better than the alternative. Remember, the behavior of lies can breed a toxic environment around us. Sometimes, I cling to my naïveté as to a security blanket—for when I am no longer naïve, I am open to corruption.
Changing Society
Unfortunately, in the world of today it often appears that the ones who get ahead are those who take advantage of the weaknesses of others. How can our younger generations ever believe that walking on the backs of others is wrong, when they see that those who do so seem to get the most rewards? In order to be more successful in eliminating wars or injustices, we must refrain, as a society, from the habit of taking something from someone without reasonable cause. We must refrain from depriving someone unjustly. We must seek out consent and avoid deception and coercion. We, as a society, tend to reward dishonesty. How can we respect honesty when we fear or deny it? How can we truly follow the path of honesty when we intentionally or unintentionally reward dishonesty? How can we ever expect things to change when we tell our younger generations one thing but continually do another? We must begin practicing and living more by what we profess, even if it may be to our disadvantage, before we teach. We must refrain from encouraging the rejection of a belief or practice simply because we think that the acceptance of that belief or practice may be dangerous to our own. We must refrain from encouraging the rejection of a belief or practice for the reason that the end result may be to our benefit.
If we want peace, we must live by it. Violence and negative types of control are not necessarily inevitable in the pursuit of goals or survival; they are not the answer. In the pursuit of peace, many people are too quick to believe in or resort to violence, negative control, and the flexing of strength. This attitude is partially where the belief that peace can be achieved through violent means comes from. I admit that sometimes peace in the short-term can be found through force, but it is often temporary or just a façade. It is this attitude that spawned different arms races in the past and has contributed to so many wars. It is very improbable that we can honestly achieve long-lasting peace by dominance, by having more weapons than others do, or by inspiring fear. Mutually assured destruction is not a solution, but a postponement. We cannot find peace with scare tactics or bribery, either. When peace is found through scare tactics or bribery, we do not grow. Instead of seeking peace to find knowledge of ourselves and the opportunity it provides to improve ourselves, we sometimes try to seek it as just an alternative to conflict or war. While peace thus sought may be needed in the short-term, we must remember that the superficial will only bring superficial results. And peace found this way is only a short-lived peace and often just a façade. A façade that can leave our hearts and minds skeptical to the next short-term peace. Or, such a peace will only last until the generation that sought it is forgotten by time. Eventually, we may give up on peace altogether. True peace cannot be sought this way. If peace is only sought as an alternative, we may not be able to truly appreciate it for the knowledge of ourselves and true potential for advancements that it brings. People cannot be forced into peace. For it to work correctly, people should want to have peace for its own sake, not as an alternative. Nevertheless, I guess in these times finding peace through almost any method is a good thing. However, why do we have to pay for peace with such sacrifices as conflict, war, or worse? We can find peace much more effectively and quickly, and at a lower cost to life, if we find it through peaceful means.
There are some who would push society against the nature of the individual, which would result (and has resulted) in a society completely structured and ordered, void of individuality, individual thought, et cetera. Such efforts have always ultimately failed and only left that society weaker. There are also those who would have society go to the other extreme—the extreme of the animal, marked by things such as anarchy, self-absorption, et cetera. That type of society leaves us vulnerable to the future. We must think logically and not succumb to the extremes. We must not become vulnerable, allowing us or our future to be taken advantage of or put in jeopardy. We cannot allow the vulnerability of others to be used against them or used to jeopardize their future either. Yes, it is true that we should not condone the slothfulness of those who do not help themselves. But it is also the duty of all of us to help others so they may be able to help themselves. More importantly, it is our duty to protect the innocent and vulnerable. I personally detest those who prey upon the innocent and vulnerable. It disgusts and saddens me that anyone would take advantage of the more vulnerable by mixing in with people who truly want to help and using the general concern others have as a gateway to victims. Unfortunately, there are also those who choose to help others whose motives are not completely altruistically based.
To save our society from self-destruction, we must try to save everyone. We cannot just save a select few. Yet, on another side of that argument, sometimes we can only take care of so many or so much for so long before we can no longer take care of anyone or anything. Unfortunately, for a society to truly mature and survive there must be people who make mistakes, so that others may learn from them. But do not take this as an excuse to allow them or us as society and humanity in general to become lambs led to the slaughter. We cannot allow people to take away from us or others anything that should be guaranteed to all of humanity. Unfortunately, sometimes it may be necessary to be forceful in the defense of others. I would hope that most people, if they truly believe that we must do what is for the benefit of all, would be more willing to follow or at least listen to a differing view. We must remember that those with a differing view, even though we may believe that they are wrong, may be doing what they believe is best. In their minds, they are doing what must be done. Anyone who tries to improve society for the sake of society deserves some credit. Nevertheless, if we believe there are better ways, we must not only convince them but demonstrate to them that there are better ways to bring about peace, justice, and the good of all. We must try to convince them, not through aggression, that peace is best found on peaceful paths. Aggression does not bring about peace. If we try to force these thoughts on people, they will never learn the true meaning of peace. We cannot force anyone to grow and learn. They must do so at their own speed and on their own terms. Many times, they have to believe that it is their idea. Perhaps the “trick” is to guide people not on how to live, but on how not to live.
There needs to be more love in the world. We need some sort of a “world consciousness” now. We have the means, but we do not yet have the desire to do this. I personally long for Utopia. Maybe it cannot exist. A true consensus of what a Utopia is cannot exist between two minds, as we are all different. Thus, a true Utopia is not even mutually definable in the world of today. And, as the world is today, Utopia is not theoretically feasible with the hostilities and malice that some hold against others; how could it be? Even a consensus of a concept of Utopia cannot exist in a violent, greedy, self-centered, self-destructive, power-hungry, oppressive, and control-oriented society.
Until the worldwide egotism, feelings of superiority, and cultural misconceptions are erased, we will never find world peace. I am not going to say that humanity is guaranteed peace, love, and flowers in its future. I am not that naïve. But can we not at least try? Can we at least make the effort and try to prove that a better world can exist? Simply pursuing the goal will bring us somewhat closer to some of its rewards. Let us simply try to do it, for the sake of doing so. Let us show to all how much better their lives can be. We must get people enthused about peace. Show them how to do it and get it done. We have a long way to go before all of humanity is free of all their ills.
We need to have the right landscape for a better world to exist. We must get the right tools and prepare people on their way to try to build a better world and join them in that effort. We cannot have a better world, a new “golden age,” until we learn how to properly feed and care for everyone and everything in the world that we inhabit. Our ultimate goal for the future may even simply be about the survival and growth of our societies, world, and our very species. If we ever hope to become more civilized or form more of a fellowship of humanity that is uninterrupted and long lasting, we must make the necessary sociological improvements. Without the necessary improvements to our societies, our societies will fall into the abyss. A society based on violence, negative control, domination, and oppression cannot structurally survive into the extremely far future. Yes, it can sustain itself for a while, but it has a false sense of center. In order for a society to survive well into the future, it must mature and allow change to occur within itself. When a conflict arises within its system, all of the many sides must be viewed equally from the points of view of the others. Each aspect of a problem or issue must be taken into consideration. Then of course the solution that best fits the particular situation would be applied. However, all obsolete solutions and information must not be totally discarded but instead stored for the possibility of future use. This stored solution or information could have any variety of future uses. It could be used for actual implementation at a later date, for data collection, as a reason not to use other solutions, or have any countless number of other uses.
However, no matter what we do we must remember that we will have a more difficult time grasping peace if we continue to use one hand to reach for peace while using the other hand to hold onto violence, negative control, domination, or oppression. We cannot hold onto peace if at the same time we are also holding onto these negatives. While others may focus on carrying out those negative pursuits, we must focus on enacting the positive. We must enact the positive if we ever hope to finally be able to begin the process of forming a better world. If we ever hope to honestly reach a world of peace, tranquility, fellowship, and mutual respect, then we must make the honest effort.
As world harmony more than likely will not manifest on its own, would it not be better to focus on a way of existence that favors and creates paths to unity, peace, and long-term survival and growth? Let us work together to create a future that all can continue to grow and build upon. We must take deliberate action to create the change necessary to restore balance in order to achieve a solution that favors all life, in order for us all to survive. These actions may be as simple as restructuring or reaffirming that which we hold dear.
Changing Ourselves
Many in society have been conditioned with an inbred capacity to survive, to take, and to conquer. Others have been broken and conditioned to the acceptance of being conquered. There is an argument that these inclinations have been imbedded in us through the evolution of our societies. Or if not through evolution, then through the countless millenniums of societal preconditioning. Either way, it cannot be easily discounted or altered.
There are also other evolutionary and societal traits that may have once been considered our greatest assets for survival, but now have become some of our worst liabilities. It will be difficult overcoming these traits, but like all obstacles that have been reevaluated or overcome before, these too can be altered to become more beneficial and then utilized.
Many people have learned to turn this energy that is found within all of us to non-violent or even constructive uses. They have found a way to change this negative energy into positive energy. When something outrages us, we must turn that negative, destructive energy into positive, productive energy. Use this energy for the alteration of that which outraged us in the first place. Thus, we may use this energy to change the behavior, situations, or incidents that created the cause of the outrage in the first place. If we do not learn to control ourselves, we could possibly destroy ourselves through our technology with our predator and survival instincts.
We must use our knowledge to find positive aspects of our intellect, such as more compassion for all. And there are ways we can put our predator instinct to beneficial use. We must see ourselves from different points of view. And we must not become prisoners within ourselves—within our own intellect or instincts. We must not be like the prisoners in the “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato. This is why I sometimes try to live “outside myself,” so that I may learn. That means I sometimes attempt to view things as if I were an impartial observer. I sometimes find some of our current moralities harmful to the species and to my own personal survival. So, I sometimes try to exist under the positive moralities that are outside the current personal and social practices that I find occasionally constrictive. We all could stand to change for the better in some degree. This is why we must think about how to inspire ourselves for more or better.
On a side note, before we can advance as a society, we must learn how to become more relaxed within ourselves and with others. We must start healing within ourselves and improving how we are among others. We must learn to be more comfortable with one another. Without this, how can we ever hope to achieve a oneness of society? When the dawn of our oneness of society comes, we must think of the past and the present, and look to the future!
Prejudice and Racism
(First, I feel I must apologize to you, the reader, for the incompleteness of this section. This section is widely incomplete, and I am by no means an expert on this subject.)
Prejudice and racism to me seem to be primarily based on nothing but connections that are unrelated or unsubstantiated fears. Since prejudices and stereotypes are ultimately unbeneficial, I have always wondered why we have them. There are myriads of reasons; however, I have just listed a few of my thoughts below.
Some may feel threatened by those from different cultures or subcultures, or by those who hold different beliefs or views. It is also sometimes human nature to fear differences. Some people are just afraid of those who are physically different or have different philosophies. But when someone fears another person of a different race, religion, culture, et cetera, we cannot afford to assume that it is just a simple result of the fear of differences. It may be a deeper fear: those who have this fear may have a preconceived idea of how others live their lives. They may feel that the way of life of the other individual or differing group, in general, may somehow threaten their own way of life. Whether this assumption is correct or not, this fear is not something that should be quickly dismissed.
There could be many other reasons why some have prejudices, including but not limited to looking for someone to blame for the current social ills, or receiving fear and hatred from a parent figure, idol, and/or their own life experiences. In any case, we must be careful not to perpetuate prejudice and racism to the future generations through our words and actions. We must also consider that this may not be just a matter of what people have been raised to believe. Some who hold these views may have had incidents with less favorable representatives of the differing groups. They may have had past experiences with those who may not have been an accurate or positive representative of that group. Therefore, we must not let miscommunication with or limited exposure to a few “bad apples” create or perpetuate prejudices or stereotypes. More importantly, it is our duty to reduce the influence of those “bad apples” from what some may consider part of our group and to demonstrate to other groups that it would be in the best interest of all for them to do the same.
But back to those who have been raised on these beliefs. Many who have been raised on or around the practice of prejudice are able to control their negative thoughts and fears, suppress them, completely erase them altogether, or even reject them from the beginning. They have been able to find the lack of logic in prejudices. While others may still hold some animosity, consciously or unconsciously, toward another group of people, these people are able to perceive that it is unproductive. Others may also have prejudices and stereotypes but have the intellect not to let them get in the way of interacting with those people they have the negative inclinations about. They understand the dangers that can follow acting upon rash judgments.
When it comes down to it, I personally do not believe people truly know any logical or substantiated reason for hating others based on their race, religion, or any other such aspects. Their life experiences may have conditioned them that way, and it is hard to undo years of conditioning. They may have been raised and nurtured on this unsubstantiated fear. Perhaps they have been brought up to hate others as a validation of their self-worth. But telling people that their worldviews are incorrect is like telling them their entire life is a lie. We cannot just tell or force them to think a certain way. Therefore, it is important that we educate people so that they come to these realizations on their own. When a different concept is forced upon an individual, self-defensive mechanisms will most likely be set in motion within them.
I ask, Are those who hold prejudices in reality just afraid of change and, more importantly, growth? It is natural and convenient to place blame on groups that are different rather than to accept inevitable events due to the natural progression, formation, and development of societies or the world. But I question what benefits these beliefs provide other than isolation. And isolation is not generally considered beneficial; these individuals can forget that working as a whole makes us stronger and healthier than working as individual parts.
As for the argument for “purity of race”: I personally believe that many fail to see that those who are truly and completely pure of race may only live in the most isolated parts of the globe. Even then, the racial purity may not be absolute. And even that is becoming less and less of a reality in our modern world. Perhaps within the next five hundred years, race will not even matter as a possible means of identification. Perhaps most of the population of the globe will be intermingled to the point of just slight variations of one mixed race. For example, the differences between skin tones throughout the globe may become negligible compared to our current determinations. One sign of this drift is how much skin tones have changed in the industrialized parts of the world. In the last few hundred years since intercontinental travel has become more easily accessible, skin tones have changed dramatically worldwide. Although the cost of intercontinental travel is still not something that the average person can afford repeatedly, such travel by individuals has increased over the last few decades. This is in conjunction with the ease and convenience of the internet opening new avenues for those from different continents to become more familiar with one another.
It is important to remember that race and religion are not the only things on which prejudices can be based. There are many forms of prejudice, racism, and stereotypes. Environments of prejudice and stereotypes exist not only regarding ethnicity and religion, but also regarding many other areas such as social status, economic position, political views, or beliefs, to name only a few. Prejudices and double standards come in many ways and from all sides, whether we like it or not. One example might be if a woman accidentally walks into a restroom strictly reserved for men. She may be automatically laughed at and be assumed to be ditzy. A man may do the same and walk into a restroom strictly for women, but he may be assumed to have non-virtuous motives. Society may downplay many of these other forms of prejudices and double standards when compared with the forms that involve ethnicity or religion. But it is just as important that we pay attention to these as well.
Our Acceptance
It is our acceptance of social ills, injustices, and other things that can do us in. And war, whether we personally accept it or not, is something that societies have accepted. War is something that is in the general interest of us all to decrease. We cannot decrease war—or even try to decrease it—until we reduce the causes of war. And one of the causes of war that we have accepted is depriving certain people of what they physically and mentally need for survival or advancement, or depriving them of what is supplied to others. This deprivation, along with favoritism of one society or group over another, are things that should not be.
One of the difficult barriers preventing societal evolution and the elimination of war that we must overcome is the general feeling of superiority over others. One way to achieve this, other than the obvious path of acceptance, is the adoption of a form of indifference. Indifference in the sense of not feeling that one culture or group is superior to another. True equality. I personally believe we are all the same in that we demand the same respect, dignity, and love. We all must be treated as equals, and be given the same rights, duties, and responsibilities. But because sometimes individuals may judge others by different criteria than they would prefer others judge them by, this indifference may be difficult for some to achieve.
If we would learn not to act upon or show any racism, prejudice, discrimination, or favoritism, our younger generations and future ones may grow up without them. It is sad that the enforcing of equality is needed; people should already know that inequality is wrong and should not be practiced. We need to be diligent in combating inequality. However, we need to be cautious in our enforcing of equality as well. Giving an issue undue publicity has the possibility of becoming dangerous and backfiring. Dwelling on an issue can sometimes prolong it. In our zeal to combat racism, prejudice, and stereotypes, we must be careful not to give birth to them when they are not present. If we look for prejudice—or anything for that matter—long enough, chances are that it will manifest itself even when it is not there consciously or subconsciously to begin with. In our zeal to combat prejudice and racism, we must also be careful not to encourage reverse discrimination and double standards.
As long as we give any preferential or discriminatory treatment to any group of people, these issues will have a chance to exist and flourish. We must treat one another with honesty and not with pretexts. We really must treat each other as equals, not preferentially or discriminatorily. If we lose control of discrimination and reverse discrimination or let ourselves be controlled by emotions of the past, we will lose ourselves in the past and forfeit all that we have tried to accomplish!
But ignoring a problem never solved anything either. Hate can be like a plague feeding upon its host. It feeds until nothing remains but the diseased and dead corpse of the host. This is the new millennium and we are still arguing over notions and conflicts that we have been arguing or fighting about for decades, centuries, and even millenniums in some cases. It is time to be less concerned with the past and more concerned with the future. Almost every race, religion, or group has been mistreated or denied by another at some time. It is time to stop these actions for the sake of our mutual survival and advancement. When all the peoples of the world no longer act out, show, or even remember the definitions of racism, prejudice, social ills, injustices, et cetera, then future generations can grow up without knowing or even having a sense of the very concepts of these things. Until knowledge of their very existence disappears, there will be issues. Until those generations who have personally lived in the past are long gone along with their teachings, how can we forgive or truly forget? The present will not change until they or their memories and way of life are no longer represented in how the present is conducted. Yes, the wrongs of the past cannot be forgotten, lest they be repeated. But we must not let those wrongs dictate the path of the future.
Stigmas, misconceptions, assumptions, miscommunications, or misunderstandings of other cultures and environments can cause stereotyping. Why are some more willing to accept fear and aggression than to make an honest attempt at true understanding, or at the very least tolerance, in response to differences? We, humanity, are one people. Stigmas, misconceptions, assumptions, miscommunications, or misunderstandings about a culture or subculture should not stand in the way of logical examination and discussion. It is the vulnerable and susceptible who often fall victim to the influence of those who preach prejudice or racism. We must decrease the abilities of those beliefs to flourish in their environments. We will not be able to advance on the road to eliminate prejudice, racism, or stereotypes until many of the cultural misunderstandings and misconceptions in the world are long gone or resolved. Increasing dialogue and communication between individuals of different cultures can help reduce these. Sometimes understanding and knowledge all boil down to exposure. I believe that the way someone views and relates to different groups will change as they get to know different individuals of those groups.
Understanding others can be the catalyst for self-improvement. The knowledge and comparison of strategies and analysis of flaws can only be improved by understanding others. Understanding, not to be confused with agreeing with, others can only improve situations, how we see our lives, and how we see the lives of other people. If we do not cooperate, live together, and accept one another, we all will fade out and die. If we would just take the time to learn about other people, then we may find out that we all have more commonalities than we had previously thought.
Why Are We Here?
This is a question that humans have been asking themselves ever since they became self-aware. I guess at one time or another, all of us have asked ourselves, What is the point of it all? What am I supposed to do? or Why am I here? Not only are the possible answers infinite, but there are countless ways to look at these questions as well. I personally do not think any person can answer any of these questions for another. Sometimes, I suppose, people should pursue whatever they find to make their life complete. I just hope that most would not want to be a detriment to society.
Unfortunately, some could have a cynical outlook and say: Life is a zoo, the Earth is a cage, and we are all animals in it. Some could have a flighty outlook on it and say: Life can be but an endless dream of fantasy and reality intertwined. I wonder if some ask themselves: Do we live to dream, or do we dream to live? In answering these questions myself, I sometimes think my own lifetime is important, but then at other times I think perhaps it may be only a glimmer. Sometimes I look at the things we do in our lives as mere passages in what we hope is the great novel of all humankind. Days are but passages in the novel of life and the possibility of humanity.
Joy of Others
With the world as it is, we need more patience, understanding, and especially acceptance—or at the minimum, toleration—of others. It is time for us to stop just talking about peace or love and actually live them. It is time for us to put the basic needs of others above our own secondary selfish needs and self-interests. It is time to start practicing some general compassion. We can be at times so engrossed in our own concerns and lives that we become oblivious to the simple pleasures and happiness that others may require. Caught up in our own complex pleasures, we can sometimes forget that others may require the simplest of pleasures. As long as it does not go against our morals or bring harm, a little bit of inconvenience or voluntary discomfort on our part is no comparison to the aura of joy that can be felt in the smiles of others. So much joy can be achieved through giving even the simplest of pleasures to others. The feeling of joy is always compounded when it passes from one to another. Happiness in others can bring happiness in us. This may sound corny, but it is true: Love is like a flood—like a river, one drop at a time, love adds up until a flood is all that is ahead.
Sometimes, we can be so afraid of showing just pure innocent compassion for another, for fear of it being misconstrued or it being used as a sign of weakness. Perhaps some people do misconstrue or see it as weakness, but that perception is their weakness. It is a weakness of being able to see only that which is placed in front of them. I am not saying we should allow ourselves to be taken advantage of. I am not necessarily talking about being a best friend to someone whom we do not particularly enjoy being around. I am talking about just bringing a little joy to others by a little humility or humanity on our part. Even just a kind word could make the difference to someone who has never had one. It is important that when or if we can we bring joy to others who may have not experienced it. We cannot forget that some people may not have had or received as much enjoyment and attention as others. We must remember some people may not be as strong-willed as others and may succumb to the negative aspects of life. That is why it is so important, when we can, to give a little joy to others even sometimes when it can be a slight detriment or inconvenience to ourselves. In the scope of things, it is so important to give someone a little taste of joy in their life, even sometimes when they may not deserve it but still need it. But do not forget those who are deserving. Often it is those people who may not have had as much happiness in their life who deserve or need it the most. In our act of kindness, we must not bother with what a third person thinks as long as we know the truth behind the motivation for our small act and know that it makes others happy. Look at the smiles on their faces. A little bit of voluntary discomfort or inconvenience on our part is no comparison to the aura of joy that can be felt from others.
Do Not Forget to Live
What motivates me is wanting to make a better world for future generations. I find some of my inspiration in the simple act of “people watching.” That is also something I occasionally find personal pleasure in. However, finding personal pleasure in life is something that I have struggled with; so, in the hopes of helping others by explaining one of my methods and to end this book on a lighter note, I have been inspired to write the end of this chapter this way.
For me, people watching gives simple pleasures, like watching a child get to run in a park. Watching a boy chase and try to catch those uncatchable birds that are inevitably able to escape. The birds ran away, not completely, but just out of reach of the boy. The boy laughed all the while, knowing he could not catch them, but still trying. He tried just for the sake of running. Another instance of people watching that I can think of offhand happened when I was sitting in a park. This guy was making extra-large soap bubbles with soapy water, two sticks, and a rope. A small girl started popping them. Then, other boys and girls joined in. I watched them for quite a while. Then, adults started to join in, trying to pop the ones the children could not reach. So, all these children and some adults were all jumping up and down, chasing and trying to pop these giant floating soap bubbles. I could even hear one of the women, while jumping up and down, yelling to her gray-haired husband, “Get that one, get that one.” As he jumped and attempted to reach them, they were both little kids at that moment; even their adult daughter, who attempted to warn her father not to hurt himself and cautioned her mother against encouraging him, could not stop them.
We must not forget that the simple pleasures are what can keep people going in their daily lives. I know it is what can keep me going in the desire for a better world and the pursuit to achieve it for future generations.
Also, we must not forget to dream. When you dream, you could dream of faraway fields with flowers and butterflies, and clouds bright and full in the sky. When you dream, you could have the illogical but beautiful dream of hearing fireflies buzzing in the distance with bright fluffy clouds hanging in the sky.
The living of life is important to our well-being and releases stress that could prevent us from fully utilizing our capabilities. So, when you feel that life sucks, suck the life out of life.