I Know More Than You

Here is a previously published article that I penned in 1995. 

By Scott Shaw

This place we call LIFE is a curious phenomena. In association with all of the unwanted events we have to deal with; be they natural catastrophes, lying politician, or just the generalized reality of the unwelcome things that happen that we don’t want to happen—we must also deal with other people. And, this is where LIFE gets really interesting.

How many times have we each encountered someone who defines themselves as better or more than us simply because they believe the life they are living is somehow more accomplished, more worthy, or simply superior?

“I am better than you because I don’t eat meat, I don’t drink coffee, I don’t drink alcohol, and I do yoga!”

Or, “You are a sissy because you don’t eat meat, don’t drink, don’t take drugs!”

These individual rationales continue:

“I know more than you and because I went to a better university than you!”

“I live in a better neighbor than you do.”

“My race is better than yours!”

On the spiritual path this style of nonsense occurs, as well.

“I can meditate longer than you.”

“My religion is the only true religion of God!”

“My teacher is more holy than your teacher!”

“You practice cowboy Zen. I am a practitioner of REAL Zen!”

“Jesus is the only true way!”

And, the martial arts, (oh my god), it is saturated with ‘Better than you’ judgments.

“Your style sucks! My style is superior!”

“Your techniques are terrible. My techniques are so much better!”

“I know the real history of the martial arts, you don’t!”

“I can kick your butt! Let’s fight!”

Who of us has not encountered this style of, “Better Than You Judgment?”

Now, it is NOT simply that these people are out there and we happen to meet them. In many cases, we invite these, “I’m Better Than You” people into our lives. For example, people who practice psychology are some of the worst proponents of judgment ideology. What’s worse is that they are provided with the license to do just that.

The problem is that even though people who study psychology may be doing what they are doing from a perceived perception of service, they are basing their assessments upon their own set of reality—not upon what is the TRUTH. They judge a person by what they’ve been taught or have come to believe is the TRUTH—delineated by what they perceive they have come to know about a specific individual. But, the reality is, no one can ever truly know another person. They are simply being provided with a distilled set of experiences.

The fact is, even in psychological settings, people only reveal what they want to be known about themselves. Even if the patient is telling a psychologist the truth about themselves, as they believe it, this truth is dominated by personal ideologies, emotions, and gained understandings. Thus, it is not the TRUTH, as any relayed experiences are dominated by the individual’s perceptions and understanding about a specific set of circumstances and about the other people who inhabited that set of LIFE circumstance. This is why psychology is a very flawed science.

Many psychologists are schooled to believe that they have some key to other people that the rest of us do not possess. But, a psychologist only possesses a very limited amount of information about the true psyche of any specific individual. They only know what they are told. And this, in most cases, leads to more problems than it solves. Nonetheless, by being awarded a degree, a psychologist is provided with a basis for “Accomplishment Superiority.”

“What happened in your childhood to make you feel like that?”

“You’re experiences are based in insecurity”

“Maybe you need to change your life?”

But, this is all memorized psychobabble rhetoric. And thus, their options, though based in qualitative statistics and appropriate schooling, are no more valid than the individual who claims superiority based in a completely animalistic sense of SELF.

Spiritual Judgment

Spiritual Judgment holds its own unique set of criteria and is perhaps more damning than any other. I mean as soon spirituality or religion is involved than God comes in to play. And, when God is active, then all of the promises or curses of Heaven and Hell are in motion. And, due to the childhood programming instilled in most of us born into the western culture, mess with God or his servants and we are screwed.

How many times have those who hold the power in spiritual circles told people to do something and those people then believed it simply because they were told the speaking individual was a vessel of God and what they spoke was the words of God? To hear this, you may say, “Come on. I would never believe that kind of nonsense!” But, look around you. How many people that you know go to church, belong to a religious study group, have become Buddhist, Muslims, Born Again Christians, whatever… Simply because they were seeking a more fulfilled life and a connection to God or the Buddha?

The fact is, people are lost. They seek interpersonal interaction with others. And when the promises of religion come knocking at the door, they jump at the promises.

Many of these people become a part of the religious society for a time and then fall away. Others become deeply involved and become Priests, Swamis, Nuns, Monks, Yogis, or just generalized members of a cult.

Now there is nothing wrong with any of these things. This is your life and you can do whatever you want with it. Society may tell you a cult is bad. But, if it makes you happy, who is really to say that what you are doing anything wrong?

It is simply that at this level of personal interaction, “A Member” begins to hand their life over to the person or persons in control. And, by doing that, one relinquishes control and thereby removes them self away from the path to true inner self-knowledge. This is the case, even though most religious group detail that one must TOTALLY give themselves over to the leader if they wish to truly interact with God and the divine aspects of this universe.

But, isn’t any leader of a group simply dominate by the “I am more than you mentality?”

I AM MORE!

At the heart of unconscious human existence is the need to be more, excel, overpower, criticize others, and teach. Somehow in modern society the BIGGER are always defined as the BETTER.

Many will say, “Well that is the way of the world.” And, they are right. One would think that by being spiritual, however, there would be a way to step back from the controlling worldly-hands of power, control, judgment, and the need to be MORE. And, to a certain degree there is—one can go deeply into their mind, withdraw from other people, and completely remove themselves from this material world. In fact, this is why yogis have gone off to caves since the beginning of time; to remove themselves from the ways of the world.

This escapist ideology has always presented a problem, however. Because by escaping you may, in fact, come to control your personal mind. But, life is designed as an Interactive Sport. And, this is particularly the case for those who walk the spiritual path.

What this means is that not only must you find a way to come into harmony with the spiritual energies of the universe and nature, but also with man. (And, I use, “Man,” as a generic term). The problem is, with people there is judgment and conflict and the ideologies that MORE is always better.

Individual Creatures

We each are very individual creatures. We each have grown up in unique environments with unique personality traits, born form a individual set of experienced experiences. From this is born individual opinions, desires, and the way we each view and define the world.

Again, one may claim that simply by moving into a world of spirituality you can remove yourself from the controlling hands of the world to the degree that one can overcome these defining elements of life. But, can you?

You Are Who You Are

You are who you are! Just as each fingerprint or DNA is unique, so too is the essence of energy that emulates from you. Though spiritual and psychological reprogramming we can each redefine ourselves and how we interact with the world. But, at the root of humanity is personality. And, from personality comes conflict. No matter how spiritual you are.

Is this good or bad? I don’t know. Because as I have long detail, good or bad is simply how you define it. “If you love Hell it becomes Heaven.”

So, what do you do when the controlling hands of other people’s desire for power, greed, and domination over you extend themselves? Well, you can go and get in a fight. Somebody comes at you, and you can argue your point until you’re blue in the face. Or, you can go and kick their ass. There are a lot of problems with this, however, most notably the legal consequences.

Ultimately, personal interaction is based on conflict. It is defined by who can win the battle.

How is a battle won? It is won by the person who refuses to stop until they have overpowered the other person, either by words or by fists.

This is how Cults drag people in. We all have things that we feel that are missing from our lives. That is just a by-product of human nature. The person involved in a Cult (and I use the word Cult in most wide spanning definition, including accepted religious organizations) learns to talk to a person, ask the right questions, find what the person is missing, and then promise them an antidote.

Is this right? I don’t know? But, it is how religious have gained new members since the dawn of time.

But, back to the point, at this level, the individual wins the conflict by bringing another sheep into the flock. Whether are not they believe what they are preaching and promising is true or not is almost unimportant, because they have conquered another life. They have WON.

Desire

We can ultimately come to understand that all conflict is based in desire. All forms of seeking power over others are based in desire. People want to control others so they go to school; they go to the seminary, the go to the gym and learn how to fight, etc… What they are gaining at these places is a method for dominance. This is due to the fact that no matter what lie they are selling themselves, about why the doing what they are doing, studying what they are studying, they ultimately want to be MORE. MORE than other people.

The fact is, all level of individual unhappiness is based in desire. If you don’t want anything else, then how can any one sway you in any direction? And, if you are content in yourself, then you have no desire to gain control or have the need to feel empowered by being MORE than any other individual.

As desire can be understood to be the controlling dominant in all those who wish to be MORE. If you simply do not play the game, then no one wins and no one losses and perfect karma is set in motion.

1. Do what you do. Let other do what they do. And, the controlling hands of words and people who seek to be MORE will have no effect upon you.

LET GO! And, you are free.

Copyright © 1995—All Rights Reserved