The Metaphysics of Prejudice

My head always spins at the harm people purposefully do to each other with no concern for and sometimes little awareness of the depth of pain they cause. And one can only wonder about the pain they must already be in to perpetrate such abuse on another. It makes me think about the long legacy of violence and hatred that has been handed down through the centuries and the many empires that have risen to power because of it. I think about how this continues to manifest itself in everyday experience through some of our television shows, music, wars, laws, cultural traditions, social injustices, etc. Racism, sexism, classism, and a whole bunch of other “isms” continue to fuel abuse, oppression and predjudice. Why is it so difficult to resolve these issues?

After asking myself this question, I suddenly realized that the isms are not the problem. They’re the byproducts of the problem that then become the justification for prejudice and hatred.

You might hear a parent or teacher say to a young child, “It’s wrong to hate people because of the color of their skin.” You may hear one say, “It’s wrong to hate people because of their religion.” And right in the midst of that seemingly enlightened sentence lurks the dark subconscious pit human beings keep falling into time after time. To say it’s wrong to hate people because of their race or class or whatever, subconsciously seems to suggest that it’s perfectly acceptable to hate people for some other “legitimate” reason. Their sexual orientation perhaps? Maybe their indulgence in fur coats. How about their willingness to visit an abortion clinic? The justification we give is irrelevant. It’s just be just wrong to hate or discriminate against people. Period.

“Wrong” in metaphysical terms has a different meaning than the everyday translation. It’s destructive to hate. It’s cancerous. Hatred and bigotry in all their forms and expressions exacerbate personal weakness, fear and insecurity. And they distraction from the real issue: the one who hates, the one who has prejudice (i.e. pre-judges) is spiritually asleep and unable to recognize and honor Self or others as Spirit.

Once we single people out because of their so-called undesirable differences, it’s only a hop, skip and a jump before “different” = “less human” or not human at all. Next, we’re beating each other over the head–literally, economically, politically, culturally–like cave monkeys. There have been several exposés by the media into negative stereotypes, how ingrained they are in society and how they influence our interactions on both a conscious and subconscious level: The woman who clutches her purse when she notices a black man walking on the same side of the street or the man who is presumed to be a moron because he has a southern accent, or doesn’t speak English. When people point it out, we might be stunned by it. But the stereotypes are just a veil that we use to justify what’s really going on–which is us expecting the worse from or wishing the worst for the individual or group we are prejudiced against. Stereotypes simply make it easier to decide how exactly to think the worst about someone. It takes all the responsibility out of hating.

Well, you can’t judge someone and hold the highest good or intention for them at the same time. So here’s an exercise to help us all work on basic human relations on a deeper, more personal level:

Exercise

On your next commute to work, the mall, or wherever you go, look at each person you pass along the way (it doesn’t matter if they look back at you or not). Mentally, to each individual, say, “May you be blessed with the beauty of the day.” Do this for a week. Keep a journal and share your insights and results in the discussion forum.