“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” – Mark Twain
Can you imagine a world free of relatives? I certainly can. A carefree world in which people do not judge or criticize themselves based on relativistic notions that have little to nothing to do with their true, inherent nature? Call me naive, but in my mind it matters little if you are short or tall, thick or thin, white or black, male or female, a big thinker or a detail person; what matters most is what you make of what you have.
On a historical note, the industrialization of the fashion industry went a long way to making people feel worse about themselves. Rather than having clothes tailored to complement their assets and downplay their liabilities, most nowadays are doomed to wear clothing designed for some mythical “average” person, clothing that more often than not distorts your image rather than refining it.
Partly owing to this shift and other deeper societal changes, we have become a society obsessed with appearance. As a result, we are increasingly short on substance. To be sure, fine and beautiful things are wonderful, but to stop there misses the point of humanity entirely.
I believe in the value of the individual, regardless of his or her appearance. Moreover, I feel that many people are written off unnecessarily as a result of the narrow-mindedness that relativistic thinking engenders.
The truth of you is absolute, not relative. As such, you are much better off competing with yourself than you are to compete with others. If you “best” your best performance every time you undertake something, you will come to enjoy the peace and inner satisfaction that accompanies eternal progress. If, on the contrary, you are constantly comparing yourself – your appearance and performance – against that of others, you will be perpetually and unconsolably miserable. Jealousy is nothing more than the fear of comparison, and you are better off without both.
That said, there is a mountain of difference between snubbing your nose at those flinging comparisons and saying “I don’t give a crap” versus realizing the limitations of such an approach and saying “It matters not to me.” Disdain of invariably results in subjection to; wise and happy is the man who abstains from arrogance.
You will realize that when you are no longer part of the game, you needn’t “size people up,” for their weaknesses and limitations are meaningless to you. What is important is what they bring to the table, based on their unique and peculiar configuration. Rather than positioning yourself in relation to others or “posturing,” you seek only to complement and draw forth the signature quality of greatness resident in them.
The internal adjustment implied here results in a massive shift in the way you view and interact with the world. You might not see it at first, but give your heart time to be cleansed of the tacky residue left by judgment and comparison and you will be rewarded with a refreshing and deeply satisfying new look at the same old world around you.
Gregory Hake 
Thanks Gregg!
You successfully brought mind and heart into agreement on the matter!
I look forward to bettering my best, thus far.
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Go for it!
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What a freeing post! To give up disdain for the make believe world as I see it in myself as well as others does bring a freeing energy which allows attention to be directed to that which really does matter. Thank you for directing our attention to consider the inherent greatness of everyone beyond shape, color, size, looks etc.
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My pleasure!
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Great post Gregg! Can save anyone who receive this years of misery and wasted time!
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I hope so!
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Genuinely making the most of what we have develops a substantial sense of self, and it is only that sense of self that allows for healthy perception of others. If the sense of self is poverty-stricken and ruled by shame, others will always be seen through a variety of unfortunate filters – envy, resentment, competitiveness, etc. A substantial person, on the other hand, sees the beauty and unique capability in others and is not in the least troubled by that. Rather, there is appreciation and gratefulness for the unique loveliness and capability that shines through. Wonderful points here!
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Well put!
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I think the most important thing you said in your post today, and the foundation that allows for all the rest to be built upon it, is that each of us has an absolute truth that is unchangeable. However, it is really up to us how much we allow that truth to come out and how much we hide behind persona, hate, jealousy, etc. And that is really the goal behind competing with ourselves. How much of the truth of ourselves can we show. If it is more than we did yesterday, then we are making progress and are on the right path. Thanks for writing this amazing post, there is a lot to consider here.
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Well said, Colin. Thx!
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Our world and its common thinking would have us all compete with each other, to judge and label, so that we could see differences between ourselves and others, when in fact that difference does not exist. All Life is the same, holding the same value. But it takes us so long to realize that Truth! For myself, I find that if I can stop the voice in my head long enough, when with someone else, and truly look into their eyes, I can see the light of who they really are shining through their eyes, even if not through their actions. And realizing this difference, the difference between who and what they truly are, and how they are now chosing to act, can free me from my own judgements of them.
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Thank you Carmen. There’s no need to struggle with judgment!
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Wonderful post. Comparison is such a short sighted approach often squashing the endless possibilities of life. This sounds like real freedom!
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It is!
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Excellent, thanks!
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Certainly our worlds are built on our interprations of them, and what we powerfully create to be our realities can vastly differ given our temperaments and moods. There is so much to be said for stillness, seeing the world through an untroubled heart. The biggest source of turbulence is this matter of comparison, and it would seem that much of our economy blindly preys upon this collective addiction, for if we can never feel good about ourselves because someone else can do the thing in question better, then we simply are forced to consume something that brings false hope. Of course that never is the real answer so the cycle repeats itself.
I against I is more honest and keeps you on the right playing field so to speak. If we can admit to endless possibilities of development, then a lifetime of wonderful challenges await us all and we can focus on bettering our best each step of the way through careful planning and smart strategizing. Even more, the energy wasted on aggressive posturing can be put towards inspiration, inspiring and helping others with the newfound lightness of being that this orientation offers.
Only here can we be free to rejoice in the accomplishment of others, knowing full well that we all need to work together to make this world a better place.
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At first I thought you were writing about a world without those who are related to us (family) – I didn’t know where you were planning to go with that one! But lo and behold what a wonderful post. It has the potential to really free us from relatives (not the family kind, unless there are those relatives who are bringing us down with the other kind of relatives!). Loved this post!! (:
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