1.) As the sole subjective viewer of the world (as I know it), I have a tendency to look at everything, including and especially people, as objects.
2.) As objects, people and things take upon themselves set characteristics, and are defined in a somewhat permanent way following what my perceptions dictate.
3.) These perceptions are always wrong.
4.) Therefore, my view of people as objects is inherently logically unsound, and any characteristic I attribute to a person is immediately suspect as a product of my own prejudices and judgments.
5.) Thus, I must eradicate my inherently held view of people as objects, and replace it with a much more subjective view, of people as subjects.
6.) Since my view of people as objects was a purely subjective one based on my own subjective perceptions, a view of people as subjects is, in reality, the truly objective view.
7.) The only way I am able to view other individuals as subjects is to apply the lens of my own experiences to them, thus viewing the other person as myself, at least partially.
8.) So, instead of focusing on negative, or even positive, character traits that my imperfect mind merely perceives, I can focus on the inner desires and capacities that I know to exist inside of myself.
9.) In doing so, I recognize my brother and sister as myself, and elevate their needs to the level of my own as this deeper understanding is reached.
10.) And thus, I have killed my self (my ego).
When we view a person as inherently good or inherently bad, we cripple his/her capacity for growth in our eyes. We define that person as something he/she is not. No matter how accurate our assumptions about that person are according to our experience interacting with him/her, our picture is never complete, and we can never truly say we understand that person. In the same way, we can never truly understand ourselves, as our behaviors, moods, and thoughts are always variable depending on our surroundings, etc. Thus, the only truly reliable measures of human character are the inherent and universal desires and needs that are inside all of us--with the desire for love and acceptance as the most important. If we view each other through this lens of deeper understanding, not only will our relationships be enriched and our actions more kind and understanding, but we will also be much happier.
When we view a person as inherently good or inherently bad, we cripple his/her capacity for growth in our eyes. We define that person as something he/she is not. No matter how accurate our assumptions about that person are according to our experience interacting with him/her, our picture is never complete, and we can never truly say we understand that person. In the same way, we can never truly understand ourselves, as our behaviors, moods, and thoughts are always variable depending on our surroundings, etc. Thus, the only truly reliable measures of human character are the inherent and universal desires and needs that are inside all of us--with the desire for love and acceptance as the most important. If we view each other through this lens of deeper understanding, not only will our relationships be enriched and our actions more kind and understanding, but we will also be much happier.
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