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Self Evaluation Rather Than Letting Others
Leaving a Footprint
Self Reflection
Are you sensitive or a victim of your sensibilities? Do you realize that in today’s world of control on speech you cannot quote parts of the great Samuel Clemons works? Did you know that “do no harm” now means to do not speak in a way that would bother someone else? In other words I cannot disagree with you and voice it. In fact a school teacher walks a fine line when criticizing a student’s work. Pointing out wrong answers could be a teacher bullying a student.
Here is my problem to begin with. I am quite empathetic and somewhat co-dependent. I admit it. When someone tells me that I hurt their feelings it hurts my feelings. You can call me stinky, but if you call me a bully my feelings and sensitivities are surely hurt rather badly. If I stole something and you called me a thief for doing so, it would be shaming me.
These things are simply true. So how do we deal with such intrusions into how we view ourselves? Maybe all that is why I am reclusive and have anxiety over certain social interactions. Perhaps it is OK that I do not let my talents be seen by others out of a fear of criticisms? Unless someone is totally obnoxious we do not notice the fellow on the sidelines but yell at the players. Better not to participate?
The only safe place is a camouflage and a shield from life. I am left pondering the “what if” my wife and I could not speak our mind to each other for fear of hurting each other’s feelings. Now we are not talking about intentional hurting speech. We are not speaking of speech whose sole purpose is to injure. But we are being careful not to rule out honesty that may be hurtful. I stole, I am a thief.
Have we gone so far as making it wrong to accuse and prosecute a criminal because labeling him that is injurious to his sensibilities? Sure we all understand “hate the hate not the hater”.
Now here is the serious problem and it is not to do with what others do to you. If you are an artist you probably lean toward a social adjustment concept. The term liberal is not really accurate. And it is too cliché. So the artist is very likely to self-censor so as not to offend.
That my friends is a huge problem for the growth of a peoples.
Standing Up!
Let Your Art Speak
Dichotomy
Now the real issue is within us in the artistic community. Most artists are very sensitive and most are sympathetic and at least a touch empathetic. Add this to the need for acceptance of their work. Deny it all you want to, there is at least a part of this in you. Fine stay away from politics and religion and the obvious social debates de jour. Just go with a statement that you have about society and humanity in general.
Now be careful here. I write a lot about love. About a year ago I got some email telling me that it was harsh to speak so much about love as this person admittedly had none, through no fault of her own. That is a problem Houston.
Here is one area of censorship that very few realize is happening. Self-shining is what I call it. I look at my facebook a couple of times a week. And I scoot around looking at “friends” photos mainly. The selfies and the like almost exclusively show folks almost bragging about what a great time they are having and how good they look. Almost a one up manship. Oh then there are the “share this” entries regarding a social ill. But I do not think I have ever seen a selfie about someone helping widows, orphans or homeless out of love. And this happens often daily. Why not show off about such a wonderful showing of love of mankind? For some reason we have censored this out of our society. It is OK to self-aggrandize looks and success but not acts of charity. It is OK to display horrible things but not the touch of love from oneself to another in need.
So what do we see in the day to day? The lousy side of man. We see vanity and we see horror. If people do not display their good works there is a void in our perception of the world. But we routinely shun or mock someone who “brags” about their goodwill and kind actions. What balderdash of censorship.
Perhaps some “religious” folks think, “do not do your good works so that others can see”. But that is incorrect. It means why you did them. It does not mean to put your light under a basket so no one can see it. Careful here so as not to include business stuff. Self-promotion in that case is fully warranted.
So what are we to do?
Again, Tribute or Offensive?
What Must Be Censored
Who Are You?
The most obvious way to help people see the light of the world in a more balanced way is to advertise and promote someone else for their good works. But you may just wait a long time for that. People have this innate sense that promoting someone else may lessen their own standing. If we promote a person we are competing with for the promotion it means that we are less likely to be promoted? This can be social or workplace and sadly even family oriented. For sure places like a church or school.
So we simply need to promote ourselves for the betterment of mankind. Hey, if Eric can do that, so can I. Wow, maybe I could even get someone to follow me in real life not just my social media. Can you imagine that I could inspire people to act in love?
So just how sensitive do we need to be to accommodate someone with extreme and almost intentional sensibilities? So just how humble must we be to avoid being called braggadocios? Why is “look at me in my Hollywood house with my new car and wife” OK, but showing good works bad?
Can it all boil down to jealousy? Is it just unacceptable to be strong and not oversensitive and giving rather than receiving? Are these things that most just cannot do, so they are jealous of those who can? We can all go to sleep at night dreaming of the raise but not dreaming of how to raise someone up? Now we come to the censorship of actions. Is it really socially unacceptable to hang out with homeless a couple of hours a week? Admittedly it is for my wife. Not for my children. Perhaps we get filth by association. Perhaps dangerous? Personally I take my chances there more than with the harried soccer mom driving while texting, which although it causes more deaths than DUI driving is still so acceptable it is posted on FB.
Is there a censorship of good? Is there a censorship of thinking? Certainly there are censorships of expression and association. Gandhi was censored for expressing a disdain for British rule and tyranny. Mandela was censored/jailed for expressing disdain for apartheid. Jesus crucified for speaking against Jewish spiritual overlords. JFK and RFK. MLK. Dostoyevsky. And so many as to be too many to count, millions and millions for expressing their faith.
My bleeding heart goes out to those who hate and are fearful of words. My condemnation goes out to those who enforce or demand control of words whether it be self-censor or societal censor.