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Mean people suck(and haven't we all?)
Are humans just genetically predisposed towards cruelty? Is it just something which comes out as soon as we realize that there is someone in the world weaker than ourselves? I just finished watching Mean Girls(a comedy centered upon the cruel politics of high school cliques) with Kris, and was reminded of some of the less shining moments in my life.
I have not always treated others as I might wish to be treated. In particular I am reminded of an incident in junior high when I was teasing on of my classmates. This kid was fairly overweight, and got fairly regular ribbings about it. It didn't help that his name was close enough to shamu that it was an obvious target. He hated being called shamu, and on this particular day, for reasons I can't even remember I was bullying him into saying his name was shamu, and he refused. Now I was larger, and older than this kid at the time, and to this day can't figure out why I was picking on him.the truly sad thing is that he was probably one of the nicer, and kinder kids in the school. We got along later and in general the incident didn't seem to have a lasting impact, but I still remember it, and wonder if he does.
I certainly hope that my actions didn't contribute to any lasting harm, but it makes me wonder how many times in my life I've done something either inadvertently, or deliberately caused someone harm, and whether that has in turn led them in their pain to mistreat others. Is it any wonder that the world is the mess that it is? When do we stop thinking of ourselves as individuals acting in our own self interests, and start thinking about ourselves as an interconnected community. When we hurt another we only further damage the community which is our collective self. Or maybe I've just gotten overly empathic all of a sudden. sigh....
I have not always treated others as I might wish to be treated. In particular I am reminded of an incident in junior high when I was teasing on of my classmates. This kid was fairly overweight, and got fairly regular ribbings about it. It didn't help that his name was close enough to shamu that it was an obvious target. He hated being called shamu, and on this particular day, for reasons I can't even remember I was bullying him into saying his name was shamu, and he refused. Now I was larger, and older than this kid at the time, and to this day can't figure out why I was picking on him.the truly sad thing is that he was probably one of the nicer, and kinder kids in the school. We got along later and in general the incident didn't seem to have a lasting impact, but I still remember it, and wonder if he does.
I certainly hope that my actions didn't contribute to any lasting harm, but it makes me wonder how many times in my life I've done something either inadvertently, or deliberately caused someone harm, and whether that has in turn led them in their pain to mistreat others. Is it any wonder that the world is the mess that it is? When do we stop thinking of ourselves as individuals acting in our own self interests, and start thinking about ourselves as an interconnected community. When we hurt another we only further damage the community which is our collective self. Or maybe I've just gotten overly empathic all of a sudden. sigh....
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I've been on the giving and receiving end of torments, and I have tried really hard to become the shepherd.
I have tried to learn that it's okay to stand up to yourself when confronted by a bully, but be prepared for the consequences. I try really hard to be nice to people, but it's really hard when someone is trying to skate through life by applying the minimum required effort, or doesn't respect my time and experience.
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