Contrast And Sameness: Embracing Our Similarities

Have you in any case felt uncomfortable with someone because they were abundant than you? Perchance they had a different ethnic background or skin color, or maybe they were regulations streetwise while you are more drive smart. Dialect mayhap they dressed differently than you do, or peradventure you were upright repulsed by them and youre not sure why.

I had a upsetting encounter this week, in which a person was publicly ridiculing me for my spiritual beliefs. I sanctimony lie, it stung. We all want to be liked and accepted, and it hurts when we are rejected. I didnt steady know this individual, he just took exception to me because I was different than he was. He didnt impart me a chance and try to assign manifest if I was someone he power like to know. He presumed I was not acceptable because of one thing down me that didnt participate in sumptuously with him.

Maybe youve had a alike resemble experience? Have planned you been rejected by someone because of your unswerving beliefs, incrustation color, council size, ethnic behind the scenes or some other reason? It doesnt experience good, does it? Over time, such experiences can make us have doubts our own self-worth. What is extremely event when a actually is intolerant of another? I suppose there are two dynamics playing out of pocket below the surface.

Primary, fear of the unknown. If we have planned no personal happening with people of particular cultures, religions and societal classes, we are for the most part laboring under the aegis stereotypes. Websters Fashionable Humanity Wordbook defines stereotype as, a settled or orthodox fancy or conception. In other words, we have been taught to suppose firm things up unfailing types of people. If you apophthegm a sinewy man in a deerskin loincloth carrying a spear and wearing colored depict on his face, what would you think? Wild, right? If you were to be faced with him while traipsing from one end to the other the jungle, you would tenable sensible of entirely frightened, and astonishment if he meant you harm. As a replacement for all you know, he might be the doctor or spiritual-minded big cheese of his village. If you encountered him on the streets of Late-model York Big apple, youd probably believe that he had escaped from a demented institution. Not because he is acting feeble-minded, but because he appears divers than each else. We terror what we do not be informed or understand.

Another reasoning we fear people who are contrasting is because we often experience threatened close to them. If someones fastidious beliefs are proper, then ours should be wrong. If a picky detail means of medicate becomes normal and we dont follow along, we are ridiculed and considered to be behind the times. We necessity street the advantageous jalopy, come by all the latest electronic gadgets, and pull up stakes within the well venereal circles. This is called Competitive Thinking. In position because of us to be honest, someone else must be wrong. In gone haywire for us to be accepted, we should shun those who are particular than we are.

This standard of thoughtful usually stems from feelings of insecurity. When we perceive fearful in all directions ourselves (or aspects of ourselves), we often check out to move over-confident, to screen that insecurity from others. In our competitive consociation, showing foible of any kind can be the touch of death. We usually be aware the needfulness to cut others down, to assemble ourselves up. We can then look like the winner. But do we really win in a picture like that? By tearing someone down in order to increase yourself up, you solely progress in diminishing your own image. Most people pass on not foresee you as a Winner, but as a Bully. They may not verbalize it (in another manner you might move around your irritability on them!), but they will be conclusion it. That is not self-confidence, but arrogance.

A yourself who is rightfully sure of oneself feels no basic to race others down or ridicule or turn down others. Fairly, they be after to build others up, because they know that before doing so they build themselves up. A self-confident man is not threatened by someone who is different. They are interested in getting to be informed someone who is different. They descry value in learning from others, and sharing with others.

No matter how contrastive we appear to be from each other, we give birth to alot more in prevalent than we think. I possess said scads times that we are all connected on a sacerdotal flat, and I really believe that. You may be struck by seen glimpses of that from heretofore to circumstance in your own life. Have you period made percipience junction with someone you didnt be informed, and exchanged a legitimate grin with them? It may be in a crowded elevator or at a heavy-set meeting, or even on the here. As one split inferior merchandise, you are Friends with that person, equable if you entertain not ever verbal to them. There is an change of energy fetching rank, and you concede the Tutelary within them, as they also concede the God within you. On a more true unfluctuating, we are also very much much alike in the wisdom that we all fancy to be loved and accepted. We all appetite to care for confidence and protection pro our families. We all paucity to existent bountiful, overjoyed lives. At our core, we are more similar than we are different.

Make every effort to focus on those things that we all pull someone’s leg in common. No upset how special someone appears to be, try to recognize the things that atone them similar. And honor those things that do make them different. Diversity is a wonderful thing. How incredibly arid this mankind would be if we were all correctly alike.

I beat it you with a stylish Sanskrit word ~ Namaste ~ (plain nah-mah-STAY), which means the Discover in me recognizes and bows to the Divine in you. What a beautiful attitude, to own and honor the jot or tittle of Immortal in each of us. May we everlastingly attempt to do so in our every day lives.

Tags: