Equality
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Well, there are people who are stronger than me, and people who are smarter than me, and I guess it goes the other way too. I don't think that everyone is necessarily equal, though I don't think that inequality has anything to do with social status or money or race or religion or gender-- it has more to do with individual people.
And I think that for the majority, how we treat others has a lot less to do with equality and more to do with civility… things like good manners and patience go a lot further than strength and intelligence… and these are things that anyone can develop. And if someone has a very good heart, then that's something I can respect a lot more than anything else… people who send out positive energy tend to receive the same, and things like how smart they are or how strong they are or whatever don't really matter to anyone around them.
The only people I hold in absolute contempt are people who are both undeniably inferior, have bad hearts and lack manners… it sounds pompous to say 'inferior' but I can't honestly say that I haven't met people who fit that description… I mean, they have nothing going for them, so instead of being a good person and trying to make other people feel better, they try to bring others down to their level. I'm actually a lot more charitable than I let on with good intentions and trying to understand others' motives, but there is definitely a point where I lose my ability to empathize… maybe I need to be more patient with these people but I find it too difficult to be patient with people who actually DO deserve it, so they end up losing out big time in the patience department.
And I think that for the majority, how we treat others has a lot less to do with equality and more to do with civility… things like good manners and patience go a lot further than strength and intelligence… and these are things that anyone can develop. And if someone has a very good heart, then that's something I can respect a lot more than anything else… people who send out positive energy tend to receive the same, and things like how smart they are or how strong they are or whatever don't really matter to anyone around them.
The only people I hold in absolute contempt are people who are both undeniably inferior, have bad hearts and lack manners… it sounds pompous to say 'inferior' but I can't honestly say that I haven't met people who fit that description… I mean, they have nothing going for them, so instead of being a good person and trying to make other people feel better, they try to bring others down to their level. I'm actually a lot more charitable than I let on with good intentions and trying to understand others' motives, but there is definitely a point where I lose my ability to empathize… maybe I need to be more patient with these people but I find it too difficult to be patient with people who actually DO deserve it, so they end up losing out big time in the patience department.
If people strive to be honest and show a natural inclination for kindness, then I can't help but feel more at ease with such types of people, although I try not judge people who don't show the same altruistic attributes. I certainly deplore cruelty of any kind, whether psychological- emotional, or in the physical sense of the word, so anyone who shows very negative traits such as violence and discriminating attitude makes me want to give such people a wide berth. I respect people for who they are, but I am also aware of the prevailing conditions. Some people are more trustworthy than others, so some people you shouldn't put temptation their way. So for me its a persons virtue or lack of it that decides how close or far away they are from me, as a person.
Although I am into Zen Buddhism, I like to share an Gnostic Christian proverb, via the Gnostic Jesus, its a saying that does hold a deep meaning to me that I think answers how you should apply yourself to things.
"Be as peaceful as doves, and as cunning as snakes".
Although I am into Zen Buddhism, I like to share an Gnostic Christian proverb, via the Gnostic Jesus, its a saying that does hold a deep meaning to me that I think answers how you should apply yourself to things.
"Be as peaceful as doves, and as cunning as snakes".
I don't naturally think in terms of heirachy. Equal/unequal don't really have any type of quantifiable answer/justification. I think more in terms of like/dislike/indifferent.
While dislike is a harsh term, it is the best one to describe how I feel. It takes effort to dislike someone and effort to like someone. So, I tend to put most people in the "indifferent" column. Not that I consider them unimportant as human beings but that there is little regard between us rather than common civility and whatnot. Just because I like someone doesn't mean I have contact with them. Just because I dislike someone doesn't mean that I don't have contact. It is all about the context of the situations that life presents and the here and now. It is fluid, evolving, changing....
While dislike is a harsh term, it is the best one to describe how I feel. It takes effort to dislike someone and effort to like someone. So, I tend to put most people in the "indifferent" column. Not that I consider them unimportant as human beings but that there is little regard between us rather than common civility and whatnot. Just because I like someone doesn't mean I have contact with them. Just because I dislike someone doesn't mean that I don't have contact. It is all about the context of the situations that life presents and the here and now. It is fluid, evolving, changing....
I don't really think about equality anymore. I used to. But I grew out of it. Now I tend to resonate most with people who I can learn something from and who can learn from me, the most important factor being that we're both willing to learn.