DAY 55 – KEY ASPECT: ACTING MATURE IN THE FACE OF IMMATURITY: WHEN SOCIETAL ACTIONS ARE DETRIMENTAL TO A BETTER LIFE AND BETTER WORLD

Earlier tonight I left a stadium after watching my team win the world championship. The exuberance of our home crowd was amazing throughout the game and many of us carried this enthusiasm into the streets. What followed was completely out of my normal character.

Outside the stadium, I came upon a group of about fifty faithful fans who were hollering and giving one another high fives. Suddenly, two people jumped on a car and then other people jumped on more cars. Before I knew it, I joined in. This escalated to where cars were being overturned and two cars were set on fire. I do not know why I got caught up in damaging and destroying cars that people in our community own.

When I came home the exuberance of my team winning a championship didn’t seem as important as my participation with those few fans who damaged and destroyed cars. I started to think about other people who get caught up in destructive behaviors based upon what other people are doing or saying. Some listen to those who dispense hate towards people of a certain nationality, religion, race, ethnicity or sexual orientation and they eventually adopt the same beliefs. Some become members of a group, whether it is a violent gang in their neighborhood, a cult that isolates their members from society or a ruthless leader that they join in battle. In each case they find something appealing and become part of it.

Young children do not want to jump on cars and set them on fire. They do not want to hate people who are different than they are. They do not want to join a violent gang, a cult that separates them from their parents and siblings or a leader who leads others into armed warfare. At some point in time a small number of human beings change and respond to immature beliefs and actions with an immaturity of their own by adopting certain beliefs and engaging in certain actions that are not beneficial for society as a whole.

When a person or group advocates for violence, a mature human being will reject it. When an individual believes in an ideology that advocates for one’s own group at the expense of other groups, a mature human being will reject it. When anyone advocates for a self-centered approach to life that does not take into consideration all of their fellow human beings around the planet along with the welfare of the earth, a mature human being will reject it.

A solid psychological foundation will enable human beings to reject any idea or action that creates a problem for oneself, others or our earth. Such a foundation will create a mindset that cannot be suddenly swayed into believing or doing something that is contrary to one’s previous beneficial beliefs and actions. No matter what is going on in the world around us a solid psychological foundation will allow a person to respond to societal immaturity in a mature manner.

Having a consciousness that understands how thoughts affect every person can immunize people from getting caught up in societal beliefs and behaviors that cause problems. A person can distinguish between ideologies that advance humanity forward from those that do not. A person can be more objective when they analyze societal actions based upon what has and is actually occurring from what they believe in. The better world that humanity desires requires this kind of maturity.

As I am thinking about my actions earlier tonight I now realize that getting caught up in the immaturity that pervades groups of people is contrary to my desire to live in a better world. I know that joining groups that hold anti-thoughts and hate people who are different than oneself does not make sense. I know that rationalizing poor behavior just because it comes from people who are like oneself does not make sense. My ability to act mature in the face of a large segment of society thinking and acting in a self-centered manner requires a steadfast ideology that incorporates the welfare of all of humanity.