The Buddha taught that one of the sources of suffering is our failure to remember that we are all One. This separation of "me" from "you", "them" and/or "it" keeps us bound to the blind sense-mind of ego. Nowhere is this more apparent in modern society than in instances of social discrimination.
Leslie Hagen was hired by the Justice Department as liaison to the Native American Issues Committee. She was, and remains, the "best qualified person in the nation" for that post. After an investigation by Justice's inspector general, it was determined that Monica Goodling, senior counsel to former Attorney General Roberto Gonzales, had taken an extraordinary interest in Ms. Hagen, and had also, as a function of that interest, begun taking steps to see her removed from her post months before her yearly contract even came up for renewal. Ms. Goodling was apparently motivated by rumors about Ms. Hagen's sexual orientation.
Since Ms. Goodling's ministration and the ensuing investigation, not only has Ms. Hagen been reinstated, but her post has been made permanent. Despite this, no one at Justice has offered her a formal apology.
Here's the larger question that needs to be asked: "How is it that Monica Goodling - or anyone, for that matter - is any position to pass judgment anyone else?" The playing field is always level.
No one of us is better or worse than any other because behavior does not define a person. The person defines the person and that "person" - that material incarnation - is always perfect. It starts perfect, it ends perfect and in the middle, well, it's perfect.
It is only the layers and layers of arbitrary social convention, as well as our own willingness to buy into that convention -- and the degree to which we do so -- that separates us, not only from our True Nature, but from one another and ourselves. When we see "another" as "other" -- as opposed to "another One" -- we get lost in the labyrinth of discriminative ego. This, at least from a spiritual perspective, is where prejudice is born.
From a social perspective, this is also where prejudice is born. Prejudice and discrimination is about citing differences and exploiting those differences out of fear or anger or disdain or any other of a number of motivations.
It is also through the fantasy perception and exploitation of differences that self-prejudice is born. Self-prejudice? - indeed -- that little twinge you feel when you see Bob drive up to the club in his Bentley while you're locking up the Prius, or that tendency you have to turn your boss into your mother when responding to his demands as you might hers at the age of 8 - that's self-prejudice.
Whichever tack you take, prejudice and discrimination are born of the discriminating mind - the blind mind-sense of ego. When we see "other" we tend to see either surplus or lack in that other, whether that "other" is in reference to another or to ourselves. When we come to a place of seeing equanimity, then discrimination - and, with it, prejudice - dissolves.
Leslie Hagen, simply by being who she is, and having that unsettle Monica Goodling to the point of undertaking what verily amounts to a witch hunt, has gifted us with a beautiful, high profile object lesson. Until we break the habit of discriminating mind, we will continue to be saddled with the burdens of social discrimination and prejudice.
Try this - it's a little skill that I learned from Ram Dass. When you are interacting with people today, make an effort to pay attention to your perceptions of them. What are you seeing? Who are you seeing? Make a mental note of that, then set it aside and remind yourself that you are looking into the eyes of God. If that's a bit too airy-fairy for you, then remind yourself that, in both essence and Essence, you are looking at a version of yourself.
Instead of pushing back against black, white, gay, straight, man, woman, transgender, annoying, cloying, rude, cruel, soft, hard, bitchy or beautiful, blend with it. Bring that person into yourself and see them for who and what they truly are - just another human being trying to do the best they can with the tools they have available to them.
Breed compassion.
© 2009 Michael J. Formica, All Rights Reserved
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