No matter how far above you think you are, the very fact that you see yourself as superior, or in some cases, have the superior upper hand in any capacity reveals your ability to segregate and view another human as lesser, which ultimately opens the door to justifying subtle harm, dehumanization, which leads into eventual destruction, extermination, or assassination done by those with malicious intention to do so, as they use your superiority as a weapon.
Have you ever found yourself thinking or saying....
"They wouldn't be in this mess if they just listened to me."
"I don't need to understand their perspective, I know mine is the right one."
"I would never stoop to that level, I'm above such behavior."
"Oh my god, look at the harm they've caused, I could never be that careless."
"That’s something only those kinds of people would do, I’m too moral for that."
"I can't believe someone would act like that, thankfully, I’m far more enlightened."
"That’s beneath me, I would never be so thoughtless or destructive."
"I know what's best for everyone, even if they don't realize it yet."
"I can't believe they think that way, if they were smarter, they'd understand."
"I'm just trying to help them, even if they don't appreciate it."
"Why don't they see things my way? It's clearly the right approach."
Now if we go up the gradual scale....
"I don’t care if she’s upset, she should just learn to deal with it."
"They're not like us so they don't deserve the same respect."
"People who act like that don’t belong in this group anyway."
"If they don’t like it here, they can leave."
"It’s just a few bad apples so the harm isn’t that significant."
"They brought it on themselves."
"Some people just shouldn't be here for the betterment of everyone else."
"Their suffering isn’t as important as ours."
"It’s not our fault if they can’t adapt to our way of life."
"I don’t even want to deal with people like that."
Until we have reached....
"Loyalty to me is the only loyalty that matters."
"Anyone who questions me is an enemy."
"That one doesn't fit in, you know we'd be better off without them."
"The people are too stupid to know what’s best for them, I can make better decisions."
"If they can’t adapt, then maybe they should be forced to leave."
"Maybe they should be taught a lesson or be re educated."
"If they don’t support my vision, they’re traitors and deserve to be punished."
"It’s time to take control before they ruin everything we’ve built."
"They’re a threat to everything we stand for and we need to do something before it’s too late."
"I’ll do whatever it takes to keep control, even if it means silencing those who disagree."
So now by the time we reached this point, we all lose, and our superiority is going to be used against you, me, us, whoever.
These thoughts reveal how easily we claim superiority, which not only devalues the perspectives of others but also allows us to distance ourselves from the very real harm our own attitudes can perpetuate.
When we believe we are superior to another in any way, we become capable of violence, and our ignorance only fuels this dangerous path of justifying harm. For when superiority goes unacknowledged, it inevitably leads to dehumanization and violence.
You are superior when you know and believe you are, and you are violent when you choose to be but the difference lies in your ability to control it.
I will say it again: you are superior when you know and believe you are, and this is a dangerous place if it's not rooted in integrity. Without self awareness and accountability, that sense of superiority becomes a vulnerability that is easily exploited by those who know how to manipulate it for their own gain, and it becomes a weapon when they manipulate the intelligence they have to further their own agenda.
And when a person with malignant patterns and intentions feels threatened, as if their superiority is being challenged, they will resort to insidious and nefarious tactics, using manipulation and deceit to rally others to wield their own superiority in service of engaging in harmful and violent actions towards a person, place, or thing that is entirely innocent.
For us, the violence can seem excusable or justified as we convince ourselves it’s for a greater cause or that those on the receiving end somehow deserve it, all while ignoring the deeper truth of our own harmful beliefs and refusing to accept that it is our own behavior perpetuating the harm.
Is superiority inherently the issue? No. It is the refusal to confront and acknowledge where you truly stand while pretending it's something else entirely. Do not pretend you are not believing you are superior, and do not pretend that another person is not believing they are superior to you.
Is violence inherently the issue? No. We are capable of violence in many forms, and the real problem lies in when we call it something else, when we ignore our capacity for harm because it doesn't fit the image of blood and gore. Do not pretend that you are not violent, and understand you are capable of easily justifying it by looking away from it or not needing to see it happen.
There is a vast difference between being violent purposefully, driven by intent and desire to harm, versus being instigated into violence where circumstances or provocations push you into a response you never intended.
Violence is not only physical, it is the subtle, emotional, and psychological violence we inflict on each other that we often fail to recognize, even though its impact is devastating and is the gateway to fostering brutal physical violence.
But we need to be honest about this. We can facilitate violence, even if we are not the ones holding the murder weapon or intentionally leading someone down a harmful experience, we can enable it.
The path to violence is a gradual scale where small, seemingly insignificant actions and thoughts build over time, creating a mindset that eventually justifies larger, more harmful acts, often with devastating consequences.
In this instance, here are the steps:
We believe we are superior, justifying our actions and behaviors.
This belief in our own superiority leads us to dismiss the perspectives of another.
We convince ourselves that any harm inflicted is for a greater cause or its deserved.
Opening created for others who believe they are even more superior to exploit our justifications, using their power to harm us.
Our refusal to confront our own behavior allows those in power to manipulate and weaponize our beliefs against us. Now, an unrelated person has exploited our collective justifications and beliefs, using our own ignorance and superiority complexes against us.
This individual, empowered by our own unchecked behaviors, is positioned to harm the innocent, all while we remain blind to the true source of the violence.
Thinking it’s not our fault, our actions and beliefs have paved the way for this destruction.
Meanwhile, there are malicious intentions from those observing, quietly assessing how best to manipulate the situation for their own advantage, ready to exploit the division of superiority we created, for their own gain.
It’s not a matter of becoming offended but rather of acknowledging the truth that our words and judgments can often be hidden behind a veil of self righteousness and may contribute to a cycle of harm that we may be blind to, until we confront it with honesty and accountability.
While these behaviors might feel insignificant on their own, I believe they in fact lay the groundwork for a larger, more harmful attitude of entitlement, where we fail to honor the unique perspectives, experiences, and autonomy of others. And when we group together in this mindset, it amplifies a collective sense of superiority, making it easier to dismiss or invalidate those who stand in opposition.
As a result, we perpetuate a culture where differences are not respected, but rather ignored or even suppressed, fostering division and eroding the very foundation of empathy and mutual understanding.
It is this subtle, pervasive attitude that, over time, can contribute to a culture of harm, where we overlook the importance of mutual respect and understanding, eroding the very foundation of empathy and fostering division.
In the most menial ways, we subtly contribute to the pathway of justifying greater violence by laying the foundation for a mindset of dehumanization and entitlement. When we normalize dismissive behaviors, like interrupting or belittling others, or making assumptions about their worth, we begin to see them as less than, as "other."
This gradual erosion of empathy creates an environment where cruelty becomes easier to justify. Over time, these small acts of disregard for human dignity build into a collective belief that some lives matter less than others, making it possible for larger scale violence to occur.
Just as trivial biases and judgments are often overlooked, larger atrocities can be rationalized when people no longer see the full humanity in those they are harming. What starts as small, unnoticed acts of superiority can escalate into widespread violence when society permits these attitudes to grow unchecked.
In the seemingly small, everyday actions, we can begin to foster a mindset that places us above others, slowly creating a sense of superiority that reinforces the idea that our perspective, our way, or our knowledge is more valuable.
In some cases, however, some people are fully aware of this superiority and in their own feeling of being threatened by those they perceive as competition, go on the attack to assert dominance and destroy what they see as a challenge to their power.
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