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People hate to appear less than others, less attractive, less capable, less rich, less intelligent, less physically fit, less in status. People hate to be thought of as inferior. It seems it's not so much what one actually is, as how one appear to others. You can be stupid and ignorant, but as long as people think you're smart, you're okay. Or you can be very intelligent and tell yourself that it's not important what others think, but still, you do not want to be perceived as being stupid. However, when you have achieved a certain oneness with the universe and have gotten an idea of your eternal self, what others say about you become less and less important. You know that you are a child of the eternal Creator, a magnificent spiritual being, and you know that God, as well as the people and beings that really matter see you in your true light. By seeing yourself from this eternal viewpoint, your self-esteem becomes unimpeachable. You take the viewpoint of the father, secure in your spiritual maturity. People can call you whatever they will, it is like water off a duck's back. Rather than being offended by their childish name-calling, you smile at them knowing that they will soon outgrow their infantile ways. At the same time, you do not ignore their opinions because at all levels, "children" are sometimes very perceptive, and sometimes they strike a chord, they push a button that you didn't know you had. And if that happens, it is a good time to take good look at what that button is connected to. Why did a certain comment bother you?
Words have power, but only to the extent that we allow it to have power. To be labeled as stupid, inferior, and lacking in intelligence and/or physical abilities can be extremely hurtful and can stigmatize one's life. Especially if one has a history of being taunted. We all experience it to one degree or another when we are children, as children can be cruel in taunting each other. As we grow, we learn to ignore these hateful labeling and manage to continue with our lives, but they do influence us by limiting our self confidence and giving us a sense of powerlessness.
One of the ways we combat these negative influences is by self-programming ourselves with positive affirmations that counter the thoughts of inferiority and lack. However, this is only part of the solution, as affirmations only deal with the surface and not the underlying reality of why and how we are who we are.
No matter how many times we affirm to ourselves that we are smart and intelligent, it doesn't help much if our actions are stupid. No matter how much we affirm our positive-ness to ourselves, it is useless if our negative attributes are entrenched in our behavior patterns. The only way to truly turn this around is to come face to face with our negative attributes and turn them into positive attributes. If we do this, we won't need to even affirm our positive-ness because we will be positivity incarnate. Just as we don't need to affirm to ourselves that the sun is shining when it is shining. If you are truly positive, you don't need to remind yourself of that, as it would be obvious.
So how does one counter negative conditioning? A lifetime of being told that one is stupid, lacking in higher qualities and generally inferior? Affirmations are only partially effective, if at all. What other methods are there? To get a better perspective, here is a pertinent parable:
There were two boys. One was born into a rich family, considered superior to most other families, and was raised in an ideal environment where there was no want, was educated in the finest institutions, was blessed with wonderful health, had the support of the community and guided by an inspiring religious tradition. He had no serious challenges in life and he grew up to become a fine administrator and an upstanding gentlemen, wealthy and respected by society.
The other boy was born into a very poor family, considered inferior in many ways to other families, with hardly enough to eat, barely clothed, sick half the time, with only a rudimentary education. His sort was considered to be the dregs of society. His life was one big challenge. But he pulled himself up by his bootstraps, read a lot and became self-educated, took care of himself and became physically fit, prayed hard and achieved a personal relationship with God, and with perseverance and hard work, became a rich and wealthy individual looked up to by many.
Both of the two boys became rich, wealthy and respected, they were both good men. But when it came to compassion, the one who was once poor had a personal understanding of the hardships of life and was led to be more charitable and service oriented. When it came to leading a healthy lifestyle, the one who was sickly in childhood took better care of himself and looked after the health of others. When it came to offering counsel and advice, the one who had endured much came up with answers based on his own experiences. When it came to education, the one who was self-educated knew the difference between learning because of desire and learning because of external pressure. When it came to religion, the one who had a personal relationship with God was in touch with true spirituality rather than just giving lip service to a religious institution. However, please note that the above story is a generalization. There are many people who, although rich materially, still had afflictions and problems which resulted in much soul growth. The point is that afflictions and problems in some form are often necessary to stimulate growth.
To make an arrow travel far we must pull back on the string. The farther we pull it back, the farther the arrow flies. Action equals reaction. To become superior, one must at first be inferior. If at one time, you are the most inferior, you have the potential to become the most superior. Life is a give and take, if you want to dance, you have to pay the band.
So if you are faced with your own inferiority, realize that yes, we are all inferior in certain regards, and instead of denying it, come face to face with it, and resolve to do something
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