Having grown up in America I was constantly told about equality and why it was the one thing that made our nation great and separa...
Having grown up in America I was constantly told about equality and why it was the one thing that made our nation great and separated us from the rest of the world. Equality is a hard notion to understand at times, especially when you view it as a material object. Equality, for the individual, is simply the absolute truth of who you are relative to the totality of creation. In other words, compassion for another human being, regardless of their race, socioeconomic status, and mental/physical state requires an emotional maturity and intelligence that most people will not find in their lifetime.
We could easily blame our environment, the world in which we were raised and grew up in, but we would be wrong in doing so. The reason that the world might seem so messed up and wrong is because it is merely a reflection of the core misunderstanding that continues to manifest human suffering: the idea that we are all separate from one another.
In a world of seven billion people it is very easy to get wrapped up in the idea that a person across the world in India has no connection to me whatsoever, but that is simply not the case. True equality and unconditional compassion for others is what connects us; the thread that binds us together on a human level does not begin and end somewhere.
One must recognize the interconnectedness of everyone around us in order to see outside of themselves. Cultivate mindfulness by expanding your self-awareness; be present, awake, and aware on a daily basis. Live your life with purpose and passion.
