For as long as I can remember, I've hated hearing people describe the world as being made up of winners and losers. And of course most everyone that sees the world this way thinks of themselves as being one of the winners, and believes they can identify the losers quickly and easily. And once a loser, always a loser, right?
After a while, I have begun to understand that this view of life, of people, is so deeply ingrained that it's no longer a conscious thought process. But it doesn't change the fact that when I hear someone refer to another person as a loser, I'm still shocked, and I'm actually disappointed in their lack of empathy and self-reflection.
Perhaps worst of all, though, is what so many people are willing to do in order to convince themselves that they are NOT one of the losers. This is the driving force behind so much toxic behavior, from greed and over-consumption to racism.
And when people get hurt and beaten down often and severely enough, they're capable of branding themselves as losers. Unredeemable, done, game over. And that's not just pitiful - which would be bad enough. It's dangerous. People who believe they have nothing left to lose are capable of anything.
So what am I suggesting? For starters, think about how you see the world, for real, not just what you would say out loud.
If there's any hope of undoing some of the damage, it starts in our hearts, by refusing to stand in judgement of others, and in being fair and honest in how we judge ourselves.
After a while, I have begun to understand that this view of life, of people, is so deeply ingrained that it's no longer a conscious thought process. But it doesn't change the fact that when I hear someone refer to another person as a loser, I'm still shocked, and I'm actually disappointed in their lack of empathy and self-reflection.
Perhaps worst of all, though, is what so many people are willing to do in order to convince themselves that they are NOT one of the losers. This is the driving force behind so much toxic behavior, from greed and over-consumption to racism.
And when people get hurt and beaten down often and severely enough, they're capable of branding themselves as losers. Unredeemable, done, game over. And that's not just pitiful - which would be bad enough. It's dangerous. People who believe they have nothing left to lose are capable of anything.
So what am I suggesting? For starters, think about how you see the world, for real, not just what you would say out loud.
If there's any hope of undoing some of the damage, it starts in our hearts, by refusing to stand in judgement of others, and in being fair and honest in how we judge ourselves.
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