AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING (SUPERIORITY COMPLEXES)

Its so interesting to consider how for thousands of years, and some cultures still today, insist on convincing the other that they are superior and the other need only to submit to them. We could have learned the devastating evils of Nazi Germany that sought to convince and destroy any body who did not conform to their idea of superior race. But more interesting how most of the world, at least Europe, really did buy into it, perhaps the reason being that most of them actually believed there was such a thing.

Only in the last decades, and we’re still moving ahead, are we lifting ourselves up out of the ashes of racism, and clearing the air of any false notion of superiority. Perhaps it served a purpose. Perhaps these notions of superiority came to heads with one another, and ultimately climaxed with the “superior” wreaking violence and havoc of unimaginable proportions.

Truly, understanding empathy, respect, love, tolerance is a work that begins right now, right here with you, with me, loving, embracing, understanding, forgiving and accepting our very own selves. The more we increase in self awareness, the more we see another in virtue of their own light that exists within them just as well as it exists within ourselves. Increasing our own self worth and self esteem, and appreciating our own lives and the magical inner process within it, awards us the ability to recognize the very magic in another’s, being able to perceive a fresh angle on existence through someone else’s eyes and experience their own personal universe (Miville, Carlozzi, Gushue, Schara, & Ueda, 2006))

What is respect if not a product of emotional intelligence? If we are to effectively explore the realities of others, and even the disturbances that may come about from the discord of some stubborn elements in their universe, we are needing to really be emotionally confident, stable and intelligent not to have our own feelings interfere in empathizing with another (Miville, Carlozzi, Gushue, Schara, & Ueda, 2006).

We should never allow our judgments to get the better of us and disempower another, potentially damaging their potential to experience their own greater selves (Dana, 2000). As therapists, be ourselves as transparent as possible, we should seek to understand another person in the context of their culture, (Dana, 2000), being that “culture” is one of those elements together with their cognitive, emotional, and psychosocial elements that defines them, seek to harmonize these elements together in the individual, aligning them to the most positive attributes that ignite a positive sense of well being within them.

Of course first we must seek to harmonize those elements inside ourselves, resolve some of those elements that perhaps are conflicted and move forward toward greater wisdom and integrity expounded upon by Erikson (Erikson, 1982; Crandell, Crandell & Vander Zanden, 2009). A wise man once said, “First get rid of the log from your own eye, then perhaps you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friends eye” (Matthew, 7:3-5: New Living Translation).


REFERENCES

Crandell, T. L., Crandell, C. H., & Vander Zanden, J. W. (2009). Human development (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Dana, R. H. (2000). The Cultural Self as Locus for Assessment and Intervention With American Indians/Alaska Natives. Journal of Multicultural Counseling & Development, 28(2), 66. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Erikson, E. H. (1982). The life cycle completed. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. New York.

Miville, M. L., Carlozzi, A. F., Gushue, G. V., Schara, S. L., & Ueda, M. (2006). Mental health counselor qualities for a diverse clientele: Linking empathy, universal-diverse orientation, and emotional intelligence. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 28(2), 151-151-165. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/198797070?accountid=27965