Warmest blessings ~ Molly
Three Kinds Of People by
Michael Meade
An
old idea suggests there are but three kinds of people in this world. The first
kind of person tends to be preoccupied with self-interest as everything refers
back to “I, me and mine.” At this basic level the world can be divided into
winners and losers as self-assertion rules the day and excesses of aggression
and rule-breaking can seem justified. Often, the only restraints on
self-aggrandizement become the fear of public shaming or the threat of
condemnation and punishment by law.
Although
some level of self-assertion is necessary for protecting and sustaining life,
unenlightened self-interest inevitably becomes the source of arrogance, greed
and injustice on the part of both individuals and social groups. As the lowest
common denominator of humanity, this first level of survival and narrow
self-interest can be manipulated politically, usually under the guise of
patriotic passions. “We are Number One” and “America First” are campaigns aimed
to appeal to the first level of life and the basic drive to dominate others.
The
second kind of person learns to operate at a higher level of life that includes
an increased awareness of both the needs and the value of others, even those
who seem quite other than oneself. At this level people develop greater
self-discipline while also learning to temper self-interest in favor of an
appreciation of the “greater good.” Instead of the narrowness of “I’m going to
get mine,” there can be a felt sense of being connected to all of humanity, as
people aspire to qualities of nobility, tolerance and true generosity. Along
with a growing awareness of the inherent humanity of all people regardless of
gender, or race, ethnicity, capacity or religion, there develops an increasing
willingness to serve something beyond simple self-interest and
self-involvement.
At
the second level people develop the ability to seek solutions that work for all
parties, as collaboration and genuine compromise help forge “win-win” agreements.
Negotiations become more conscious and there is a true effort to protect the
health and well-being of the human community. Charity organizations and
“non-profit” projects form alongside basic profit-driven businesses. Rather
than indulge in blind greed and self-importance, people undertake noble
experiments that seek greater peace, more equality and “justice for all.”
At
this level the coherence of society, the sustainability of natural resources
and the preservation of cultural values are at stake. Thus, those who awaken to
a greater sense of nobility and genuine care for others have often been
supported by the principles and practices of religious groups as well as by
democratic institutions. However, when times get hard and people feel the pressure
of enduring threats and persistent hardships, the greater sense of fairness and
justice becomes more difficult to sustain. In the face of uncertainty and fear,
the second kind of person can lose touch with the core values of humanism and
regress back to aggressive attitudes and the simple modes of self-interest
found on the first level.
Unfortunately,
when times become dark and troubling religious groups as well as political
parties can also lose their commitments to genuine ideals and meaningful
principles. History is marred and stained with the collapse of principles as
well as the loss of integrity found amongst groups and institutions touting
noble intentions and lofty goals. Out of confusion and fear or anger and
resentment, institutions of all kinds have found themselves caught in their own
shadows and even mired in the blood of innocents.
It
turns out that the great troubles and fears of this world can only be met with
a level of enduring visions that do not collapse under the pressure of fear and
uncertainty. The visions found at this third level arise from a depth of
understanding and compassion that transcends both the compulsion for personal
gain and the pressure of raw emotions. The third kind of person is found at the
deepest level of life where integrity is grounded in vision and in values found
only after losing the innocence of superficial hopes and dreams.
The
third kind of person survives some life-changing defeat or loss and suffers a
descent in life that makes them aware of the agonies and tragedies experienced
by so many throughout the world. Such a descent can be quite private, as in the
case of a debilitating illness or the loss of a loved one. It can also occur as
part of a collective tragedy, as in the case of war, or a terrorist act or a
natural disaster that alters the lives of many people at once. Either way, the
stricken person finds themselves in a dark night of the soul, alone with the
remnants of broken dreams, lost in a darkness that erases all sense of hope.
To
despair means to have lost all hope, to feel both hopeless and helpless in the
face of overwhelming forces of violence, betrayal or tragic loss. Yet, if we
are willing to face the darkness, a deeper level of understanding can be felt
and a deeper dream of life can be found.
Because
of this deeper knowledge, those who survive loss know who they are at their
core; they also know the core values and ideals upon which humanity depends.
They cannot be manipulated by fear or greed, cannot be shaken by threats or be
pressured to act against either their own integrity or the interests of the
greater good. We look to them to preserve the highest sense of human value and
the deepest sense of human connectedness. In this way the third level of
awareness produces the truly inspired leaders, the wounded healers, and the
wise counselors who know that the ideals of humanity must be upheld precisely
when the darkness and confusion around us grows.
America
is a young nation that has clung to its innocence and claimed an exceptional
sense of promise and hope for the future. Yet, it has become painfully evident
in these times of extreme climate change, religious terrorism, political
extremism and increasing bigotry that the light can turn to darkness at any
moment. The dread clouds of loss and tragedy have become an undeniable fact and
a recurring nightmare as America now faces its own dark night of the soul.
The
current election can be seen to offer a choice between the first kind of person
and the second. The third thing is usually charm, but at this time it is not
simply a third party that is needed. Thus the issue is not simply the notion
that both candidates are flawed or that party loyalty must be preserved. The
issue is not the correctness of a certain ideology or the necessity to believe
in a single economic theory. The issue now is the threat to the soul of the
country and the risk of abandoning the higher ideals of humanity for the lower
instincts for scape-goating and tribalism.
The
robber barons and self-appointed demagogues always want to rule the land and
always claim the power and ability to fix everything. The would-be strong men
always seek to exploit the raw emotions of fear, anger and resentment that rise
to the surface during the dark times. Yet, in troubled times the only thing
capable of withstanding the pressures of collective fear and resentment are the
unique visions that can form at the deepest levels of the individual human
soul.
It
is our civic duty to vote for the higher level of humanity; but history must be
made in the depths of the human soul. The secret hope of this world is the kind
of imagination that arises from the underlying spirit of life and the hidden
resiliency of the human heart. When all hope is lost and all seems headed for
disaster, it is genuine imagination that is missing and needs to be found
again. The deepest level of hope is based in creative imagination which tends
to appear when people are willing to stay in the tension of opposing issues
long enough that a surprising vision dawns and a way forward appears.
Faced
with tragedy or loss a person or a society either grows a greater vision or
becomes diminished at the level of the soul. In tragic times we either become
wiser and more compassionate or else become bitter and more rejecting of life.
In these troubled times we need more of the third level of understanding that
brings a deeper commitment to a future that is more genuinely humane, more
fully inclusive, more dedicated to justice than to greed and more able to find
ways to balance the needs of both nature and culture.
Please
go here for the original article: http://www.mosaicvoices.org/three-kinds-of-people.html
and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-meade-dhl/three-kinds-of-people_b_12111562.html
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| With Michael at the wedding of dear friends Olivia Oso and Carl Hay, 2002 |
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