Playground Perpetuity
Do you remember going to the playground when we were kids? Every child we met there was a potential lifelong friend. We played and had fun. What ever happened to this? As we got older we learned to see people as potential threats instead of friends to help and get to know. Somewhere along the lines we learned that there is an “us” and a “them”. I think the first mistake we make is when we learn to compare ourselves to other people. This is a complete failure in thinking. When we compare ourselves to someone else there is always going to be someone who comes up short. In school this one kid is really smart so he makes me feel less smart. Why did I even compare myself to him? He is fabulous and so am I but something made me think less of myself. That girl is a goody two shoes and does nothing wrong while I have had several boyfriends so I must be some type of whore. Why was I not just more comfortable in my own skin? Then through our socialization process we are taught things about “them” the ones that are not like “us”. These things may or may not be true but because a trusted adult said these things it became a “truth”. We are also taught things about ourselves that are sometimes completely untrue because we are educated in what we should be or how bad we are.
In religion we learn that we are loved. That “sinners” will go to hell. “They” are troubled. This is not the right idea at all. People tend to focus on the wrong things to only help keep the spotlight off them and on the “them” in order to perpetuate the idea of betterness. What I have learned over time is that it is wrong to think bad things about “them” but be able to smile around them this seems to be a level of hypocrisy that I am not comfortable with. The other thing is the Bible has been manipulated so much that I choose to focus on the rules that I feel are most important like judge not, love one another, and do not cause harm to anyone in anyway. These rules are a lot more inclusive and they keep me pretty happy.
We were born we are who we are. Then we unbecome who we are to fit into society’s expectation of us when we were perfect just the way we were. Imagine if we all saw each person as wonderful just the way they are and that we chose to support their unique wonderfulness. In this way I am very lucky, I have stopped judging others and myself. I have stopped comparing my awesomeness to others awesomeness because we all shine so bright in our own way. In practicing having an open mind to everyone I meet I live in a perpetual playground of potential friends to play with and have fun. This has helped me in so many ways to learn what a friend is but also how to be a friend. Your friend is my friend. Let's all be friends.
