Uh oh, but you said that you would never say the words “not good”… /s :-P
But yeah, the wisdom of the ages seems to tell us that “what goes around comes around” and “whatever system you choose to use to measure others with, you will end up using the very same system of measurement against your very own self” - i.e. if you don’t want others to be a certain way, like hypocritical, then don’t be that way yourself. It probably has to do with formation of the superego portion of our personalities, but however it is implemented, it seems to be an accurate description of human psychology.
So if we say that others are “stupid”… then isn’t that surely what we think that we do ourselves, at least sometimes? In contrast, if we allow ourselves to realize that others may not be “stupid” but merely “misled” or “mistaken in this particular area” or “in possession of incorrect facts with which to base conclusions upon” - all of these being very distinct from such thoughts as “they are most definitely dumb as a post” - then we see others more clearly, and also thereby are more accepting of our own very selves.
Which in turn allows us to see still other things (in the world, including both them and us) more clearly as well - i.e. instead of muddying the waters, we aim to see whatever is truly there. So it’s not even something that we need to do for the sake of “kindness” (to either them or ourselves), so much as it is necessary for deeper logical introspection as well.
Anyway, to me these words seem to conjure a thought like “don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes”. Or the political variation “surely the leopards who eat everyone’s faces off would never eat my face off in particular!” The converse of either of these points to a weaker, lesser, lower, unclear form of thinking… that will ultimately wrap back around to hurt our very selves, despite how at first glance someone could think that they only intended to be negative against other people. But there is a better way, and that is to realize the truth of this principle: “what goes around comes around”. So simple… yet missed by what seems like everyone that I’ve ever met (including, you guessed it, myself! 🤣).
Uh oh, but you said that you would never say the words “not good”… /s :-P
But yeah, the wisdom of the ages seems to tell us that “what goes around comes around” and “whatever system you choose to use to measure others with, you will end up using the very same system of measurement against your very own self” - i.e. if you don’t want others to be a certain way, like hypocritical, then don’t be that way yourself. It probably has to do with formation of the superego portion of our personalities, but however it is implemented, it seems to be an accurate description of human psychology.
So if we say that others are “stupid”… then isn’t that surely what we think that we do ourselves, at least sometimes? In contrast, if we allow ourselves to realize that others may not be “stupid” but merely “misled” or “mistaken in this particular area” or “in possession of incorrect facts with which to base conclusions upon” - all of these being very distinct from such thoughts as “they are most definitely dumb as a post” - then we see others more clearly, and also thereby are more accepting of our own very selves.
Which in turn allows us to see still other things (in the world, including both them and us) more clearly as well - i.e. instead of muddying the waters, we aim to see whatever is truly there. So it’s not even something that we need to do for the sake of “kindness” (to either them or ourselves), so much as it is necessary for deeper logical introspection as well.
Anyway, to me these words seem to conjure a thought like “don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes”. Or the political variation “surely the leopards who eat everyone’s faces off would never eat my face off in particular!” The converse of either of these points to a weaker, lesser, lower, unclear form of thinking… that will ultimately wrap back around to hurt our very selves, despite how at first glance someone could think that they only intended to be negative against other people. But there is a better way, and that is to realize the truth of this principle: “what goes around comes around”. So simple… yet missed by what seems like everyone that I’ve ever met (including, you guessed it, myself! 🤣).