Yardsticks of Life

      You'll find it in people that they're innately proud. People, myself included, tend to measure up others against ourselves. Comparisons, with our humble selves as the yardsticks of  ridicule and demotion. We couldn't help it to take notice of other people's tastes, may it be on fashion or mannerisms, and compare it with our own. We just love to comment on how people look and the way they present themselves to our curious eyes. Most of the time comparisons ending up with ourselves being the likely superior ones.

     Have you at any rate experienced dating somebody who you know for a fact is not as attractive and so not your type judge you not suitable for them? To be declined a second date which you know you don't want to even consider? To be classified as inferior to them? It sucks but that is life. Well, enough with that or else I'll end up ranting bout it all day and not get to my point. If you're thinking that this person had a firsthand knowledge of the topic, you've guessed right. Yes, I had several dates of the sort. To make me feel better and not depressed by the fact that I've been dumped by a less worthy date, I just think to myself that maybe just maybe they thought I was so out of their league that I may not be interested on a second date. A date that was more likely would've been decided by moi, having determined that I'm far more superior when it comes to looks and personality and don't forget wits. Astonishing as it may seem, they were the ones who haven't showed interest in keeping in touch. So I was left wondering what's up with that, what's up with the world, aside from the fact of impending doom. To counteract feelings of depression and bitterness I resort to my first line of reasoning, which is the 'out of my league' bit. I later realized that it's all a game, a nasty game of discrimination and illusion. That even the most unattractive, uneducated, most uncivilized person have the magnanimous right to be choosy and judgmental. And they do exercise that right to the full extent, believe me. They have and would find a way to make you feel belittled and unworthy. My usual reaction always begins with the famous phrase 'the nerve'. I t only proves my inkling that we are all prying judges in our own selfish courts.

      Have you ever felt cheated when you see people, partners to be precise, walking in malls, at the park or any other public place, holding hands just to see that the other one is not as good looking as the other. The two of them being total opposites of each other. The perfect epitome of yin and yang or in an artist's point of view, a perfect example of a chiaro-oscuro. We tend to look at others with judging eyes, not aware that we too are being placed under a microscope for further scrutiny. We are all living canvasses in the gallery of life. Being given a once over by fraudulent experts. Classified whether we are classical, baroque, or modern art. Criticized unwieldingly at their leisure and for their pleasure. Some people live and exist at the expense of others just for the knack of it, poking fun and jokingly playing at the shortcomings and liabilities of others. Some people make money out of it. It's an industry of it's own. They feed on others' misery and imperfections to be able to make a living. Comedians, reality TV people, and game show hosts do it with unequivocal brilliance.

      I know for a fact that it is bad, but we just can't help ourselves and just continue doing it out of bitterness and for some insane reason for the sheer fun of it. People often do it to make themselves feel and look better than others. For some, it's instant gratification to put others  down just to get ahead and be the superior ones. It's an act of raising oneself by simply stepping on others. To inexcusably defame others so they would feel they are far better than the rest of us. As for some it's their way of coping with having not enough, may it be money, smarts, or success in life. It does the magic for them. Instantly making them feel less inferior by submitting others to be less than themselves. It's sort of a defense mechanism to mask those imperfections by diverting attention from oneself and pointing them elsewhere. Stressing that there are people far worse than us. Lesser beings is another way of putting it. It's all egoistical and selfish but it has become a part of our lives. We criticize others so we can emerge as the front runners in the race that we didn't even know had started and has no apparent end.

      Wherever we go, whatever our stand in life, we are and always will be plagued by this disease. Which isn't only damaging but can really impact what we may become in the future. Bullying, discrimination and the likes are just some forms of this disease. It's really a pest that eats up our society creating differences and chaos resulting in bigger problems magnified to a thousand. Proving to be here to stay for as long as we see others differently. We are our own yardsticks. Sentencing others whether they pass or fail our standards. These standards are those that rule our views regarding a lot of things in our life. Moral, physical, social standing and monetary capabilities are just some of the qualities we readily without thought closely look at at people. We all have to admit that we do judge people with these parameters in mind without compassion. Then the classification starts. We just love to categorize everything including people, especially people. It does remind us of the caste system they use before way back when people were less educated and far less liberated. So why, oh why then is it still in existence? Does that mean we are no better that our ancestors and that we still live in the past. That we haven't learned anything from our past that we still practice it. I'm not innocent to these accusations so as the one reading this article now. We all are inflicted with this disease which is honestly so hard to cure. Like a plague that eats up feelings and emotions. Contributing to the deterioration of  humanity and the destruction of lives and futures. Only contentment and total acceptance can really eradicate it. But our time now proves this to be a difficult feat because of our current situation where we are bombarded with so much new trends, hypes, high standards of living and progressive living. These things coupled with our economic instability only worsens things. We do love misery and we do feed in each others miseries like hungry vultures out to hunt for carcasses in the field we call life. So as this essay ends, this is one reality I have to face. That after reading this, one can't help but to judge the writer of this article.