Prejudice
If it were down to one man to decide whether I’d make it on the ark, Noah would probably let me go for a swim, I suppose. People don’t seem to like others who have ideas of their own and are willing to share those ideas.
Obviously, I’m not perfect but let me tell you this: I can read people pretty well. Maybe it’s because we all go through the same things and I’ve been there, I know how you feel. We all love to form everything to our liking: we tell rumors and stories the way we’d like them to be told. I feel good when you agree with me. If we don’t agree, I don’t feel comfortable because I need to conform to you.
And that complicates things. What do I need to conform to something I might not believe in? First, I need to get over myself. I need to accept the fact that you have your own opinion. You have an opinion on me. Then we need to find a way to work together because we can hardly work together if we don’t share things. It takes acceptance. If I’m too proud to accept your opinion and I can only see things through my own eyes, I fall into Austen’s trap. Though there’s always a mainstream idea, all the other people have their own opinions, or the media is more than happy to tell you what to think if you’re not sure, so don’t worry you’ll have an opinion one way or the other. Also, the fear of confrontation has the power to change one’s opinion pretty quickly.
So where were we? Yes, pride. I see what pride can do to a person. Proud people are usually broken for they’d never bend. Proud people rise up and fight until the end. Fighting ‘til the end might actually be noble but if you do it well, it requires you to be humble. We need to be humble in life; it’s not all about us after all. Other don’t care what you’re proud of if they don’t share your values. You can debate, you might even be right but the truth is, no one will care whether you’re right or not. So what will it take to get on that ark and not drown in the sea of your own emotions? You’ll be better – no, wait, I said it wrong. You’ll be equal to others if you can humble yourself.
It’s not about being apologetic – never apologize for living your life. But whatever happens, you must know that the other person you’re dealing with is not above you, nor are they beneath you. They are human, just like you. What are men known for since the beginning? For failure. Think about that tree. And that apple. We all fail, even the best of us. There’s no use in ignoring the other side – I must respect the other person and his/her opinion. For it will make me richer. I am here on this Earth to learn. And I tend to learn the most from though situations. You might be proud of how good you are when life is perfect but when life wants to lock you in the smallest box ever known to man, then it is a real challenge to stay proud.
Come what may, there’s one thing you need to know: what you’re good at will always come easy to you but that’s not the challenge. People might look up to you for what you can do but what shows who you really are what you can do is when you need to be a man in a situation that is out of your control, out of your comfort zone. That will really show who you are.
Come what may, you’ll be equal to others if you have the strength to accept your destiny. Isn’t our nation’s history all about that? Isn’t it about honor? Long torn by ill fate but we’ll stay here, we’ll stay human and we’ll be true to ourselves. We will not be forgotten. You do not become somebody by rising up to be proud and looking down on others. Be careful, you can easily fall from above. Take a good look at those you despise. Just take a look at them. Don’t they have a right to live? Isn’t he just like you? Isn’t he the Creator’s work of art, just like you? He is, even if you refuse to see it that way.
Do not judge wrongly. Do not be prejudiced. Stop labeling things. Stop trying to make something of people as you look at them and try seeing them through your heart. It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. When you’re feeling proud of all your achievements thinking nothing and no one can take them away from you, try and stay humble. And get ready to face the next challenge. For misfortune is a chance to grow so that you’d actually have something to be proud of. Go with the flow for if you learn to swim in the sea, you won’t need the ark.
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