let us not be quick to devalue those who perform actions we consider to be distasteful. the judgment itself is not wrong, but the advice to steer clear from it is usually in the rationale that people discriminate according to flawed criteria--in this case men and women are devalued according to their actions, regarding which not everyone considers to be distasteful in the first place...
we are often brought up with societal imprints of normalcy and mores; the very criteria with which we assess our surroundings are the same criteria our fathers and grandfathers used. if history has taught us anything, let it be that it has repeatedly shown us the error of our ways in terms of racial, sexual, political and social inequalities--the kind of atrocities that only the descendants of the very perpetrators can acknowledge and repent for. why dont we take a minute, or even a second to ascertain for ourselves the adequacy of following patterns of our forefathers and their criteria for judging people. this way of blind reception of instruction is inhibitive in all its connotations--it is a parasitic regressor of the long-term social fabric (as ironic as it this be). after all, time-honored practices are supposedly keepers of the peace.
rw emerson said that a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. the message is harsh, and for some who cling fiercely to their views this very quotation can incite a counterproductive defensive psychological barricade against subsequent attempts to enlighten; yes emerson claims that all who disagree with him are diminutive in many ways. however let us be reminded that it takes a huge mind, an exceptionally magnanimous and mature individual to overcome the defense mechanism erected by his own primal self, and with no further help attain an awareness lucid enough to penetrate his latent denial. it is a true feat of strength for a warrior hardened by battle to drop his sword and cast aside his shield and trust that not every one he meets on the bloody fields is his enemy. an acceptance of emerson's words as truth is the first step in proving that he is wrong (again ironic but no less true).
now once we have established for ourselves the criteria that we can safely and fairly use to assess the people around us, we quickly find that most if not all of these men and women who we would have been appalled by in the past, we now find no quarrel with. in effect, in trying to make our criteria more useful, we have made it useless. irony for the third time..however, note that in simply stepping back and taking a look at the things we have been thinking, saying and doing all these years without question, in looking at the big picture, our perception of all that exists changes...our priorities change.
yes our fathers and grandfathers might look at our generation and say that we are doing things that they in their time would never have dared to, that "these are a lost people." no i am not going to say that they are wrong, and definitely not that "we the supposed lost people are in fact more focused than you could ever be", but rather i say there will come a day when our children and their children will think, say and do things we consider to be appalling and we will chide them for "losing" their way, and i can only hope then they will not deride us for being square little minds.
instead let us earn the respect of our forefathers by breaking free of their will and at the same time make our own way and so be able to deserve the same respect from our children. the day will come when they earn our respect by breaking free of our wills. but let us be mindful of our own stresses of today and not impose it on them in the first place.
fighting for freedom from false fixtures (alliteration zomg) marks only the first chapters of my freedom manifesto; the second and more important half underscores the importance of making it available to everyone else as well. it is imperative that all who are free fight to make free those who are not.
1. stop judging others against our deluded ideals
2. break denial and exit from delusion
3. assist others in abandoning their delusions
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