Most of the people on this planet live through the ego. They feel that they themselves are special, apart from the crowd in some way, but are unwilling to acknowledge other people’s specialty. They are threatened by people who are different from them, but instead of seeking to understand someone else’s point of view, condemn them.

The different specialty clubs

There are many different “exclusive clubs” that people proudly belong to. There are the:

• Nationality clubs

• Color of skin clubs

• Rich, poor and between clubs

• Political clubs

• Religious clubs

• Sexual orientation clubs

• Disabled Clubs

• Sickness clubs

• Sport clubs

• Creative arts clubs

• Intellectual and non-intellectual clubs

• Environmental clubs

• Animal rights clubs

• Food Choice Clubs

• Health Options Clubs

And the list goes on! What a lot of people don’t recognize is that there is actually only one club

The human being club

Our diversity is what makes life interesting. I love seeing people who dance or create music beautifully, draw emotions through their acting skills, or are consummate athletes. I also understand myself well enough to know that I don’t have enough passion for any of these things to make the necessary sacrifices to get closer to their level of excellence. In my teens and early 20s, I played guitar and sang popular songs in public and was also immersed in amateur dramaturgy; in fact, she wanted to be a Shakespearean actress at the time. In hindsight, I realize that these activities were not my greatest passion. I have friends who are athletes, dancers, singers and artists; each of them is so passionate about their way of expression that, for them, it is as important as breathing. Although I may have been talented, I did not have the overwhelming passion required and therefore I do not belong to their clubs, I can only see the inside of the door through my friends.

In most parts of the world, members of the creative arts club are happily accepted and even sought after, and the “cream of the crop” is admired for their superior abilities. There are some countries where creative expression is prohibited and the consequences are dire, but fortunately they are few and far between.

The positive and negative effects of these clubs

As mentioned above, the members of the creative arts club are generally not marginalized and many other clubs are willing to open their doors to these people and accept them as friends. However, not all clubs are the same.

Many clubs grant visiting rights to members of other clubs! For example, many of us today have friends and colleagues of different nationalities, skin color, religions, politics, sexual orientation, etc. The mix of the members of these clubs creates the platform for the Human Being club.

The problems really do come through the staunch members of any of these clubs. The Self-righteous: The People Who Hate Anyone Who’s Different! Your intolerance is the main cause of suffering in this bear world. The clubs with the most money, power and influence, that is, the political, religious and health-choice clubs, can attack these intransigent members of their own clubs and other clubs and manipulate them and incite them to behavior that originated in fear-based beliefs. From that, another club was formed: the ‘I’m right and you’re wrong’ club.

Being a paid member of any of these clubs can be extremely limiting. Some club memberships are obvious, that is. I can’t pretend I’m not in the English white women’s club, English women might get away with it for a short time, but white women and women definitely don’t!

Some people are afraid of being kicked out by other club members if they spread their wings and start to befriend members of other “not allowed / tolerated” clubs. In reality, they could lose both their friends and family if they made that decision, so fear keeps them in a club that no longer fits them and restricts their learning and advancement.

I am also in two minds about the ‘disease’ clubs. I know it is comforting to be in communication with other people who have the same illnesses, who can offer us support in our most difficult times and when we are in pain. However, I think a lot depends on the orientation of the specific club: if it functions as a ‘pity party’ or if it is full of people who are really trying to improve (and don’t believe it when told to do so). can’t) and are prepared to seek a cure outside of accepted medical practices, either by switching to a raw food diet or by trying homeopathy. If there is an exchange of information, with people who report cures, then more power to them. However, if many people lament their fate, that closes the door to health and, a question I often ask myself, what happens if a person in this club improves? Do they lose their membership?

Love, tolerance and understanding

Instead of trying to wipe people who are different from us off the face of the earth, why can’t we just communicate and understand their point of view? In the grand scheme of things, despite what is typically reported, I believe that most people are peace-loving and willing to compromise on the beliefs of others. We only hear the news about the toughest extremists in these various groups and then we tend to have an unbalanced view of the world in general.

The populations of many countries have become so fearful because of what is happening in their individual lives that they actually vote for fear-based leaders who intend to lead them to war; They vote for people who come from an energy similar to their own. own. Therefore, the people who think are equal to them. In fact, if a politician dares to mention peace or speak to “the enemy”, he is branded as weak or a traitor, when in reality it is he who tries to improve our lives. In a way, we are seeing “war speech” as strong and “peace speech” as weak. How strange is that!

I always remember that my grandmother was very scared when she found out that a black family was moving next door. At that time in Bristol there were very few black families in the area and Nanna had only seen black people on television. Those were the times! A few months after the family moved in, Nanna had nothing but praise for them. That winter had been extremely harsh with heavy snowfall and she told me that when the neighbor was cleaning his own front steps, he cleaned hers too, no one had ever done that for her before. He treated her as if he had treated his own mother. All it took was familiarity and a little communication and the fear went out the window. Added to that, my closest friend at the time was Jamaican, so she had first-hand experience of our similarities, rather than our differences.

In conclusion

I think it’s human nature to communicate and collaborate with people who are like us, but what many people see as ‘like us’ boils down to very superficial characteristics. I remember my Jamaican friend’s sister was very upset. She had been the only black woman in his company and then another black woman was employed. They were automatically put to work together because they were both black and obviously had a lot in common, so the employer thought! The truth was that they had nothing in common, they did not come from the same country, and they actively disliked each other. It is always a mistake to assume something in a purely superficial way.

I consider myself very fortunate to have had an open-minded father, who could look beyond the superficial and see the person within. I remember when he invited a stranger to the house, who turned out to be the local homeless man. What Dad had seen was this man’s camera, and he saw beyond poverty and homelessness, to the photographer inside. They had a great conversation about photography.

I have many friends who are members of a variety of the aforementioned clubs and each of them has taught me a lot about different cultures and lifestyles, and has enriched my life in the process. I encourage anyone to start a conversation with someone who does not look like them; You will be surprised how much they have in common!