The Way and the Power of Virtue

  Don’t value rare objects and people won’t steal. What do we value?  Do the brand names we choose to wear make us feel better about ourselves or better than anyone around us?   Do we ever find ourselves saying, “once I get this or that, I’ll be happy or worthy or enough?”  or "once I have this, I will have arrived?"  Do we ever belittle ourselves or believe we are "less than" because we don't possess certain items?  The truth is, o ur self-worth is not determined by what we can or cannot afford to wear or possess. We are not objects to be constantly rated by shallow and subjective social stereotypes . We don’t need rare or valuable accessories to adorn, enhance, or prove ourselves worthy in this world.   When we (mis)judge ourselves and others in this way, we are robbing ourselves and others of our true worth.   We are, all of us, not just rare but unique and irreplaceable, and therefore of infinite worth and value, where we are, as we are. ...

  What is and what isn’t produce each other, difficulty and ease are formed in light of each other, long and short are judged against each other, highs and lows are measured against each other, noise and sound harmonize with each other, and first and last succeed one another –  these are universal constants in society. The interpretation of our human experience is relative and relational. The spectrum of what is present and missing, our understandings of difficulty and ease, highs and lows,  and even our measurements: long and short, big and small   are all relative to each other.   Our preferences for what is pleasing sound and music instead of just noise are also (dis)harmonized in relation to each other; the sequence of our lives – past, present, and future – and when things "should" happen is informed and interpreted  by cultural constructs and social schedules that assign significance to  what has already happened as well our  expectations,...

  When everyone in the world thinks it knows what to regard as beautiful,  there is ugliness – and that is ugly in and of itself.   When everyone thinks it knows what is best – that might not be the best. All social standards are subjective and create stereotypes. When a subjective social standard of what is beautiful is widely accepted and acknowledged by everyone, it automatically creates its opposite "ugliness" for all those who do not “fit” and that is despicable and ugly.  Every day we are bombarded with subjective stereotypes of "beauty."  Airbrushed images, doctored photos, and fake, fanciful facades  are all around us.  Every advertisement, every magazine at the grocery store checkout aisle, social media posts, TV shows, films -- they all perpetuate (willingly or unwittingly) a subjective social stereotype that is unrealistic, inauthentic, and disingenuine.  The truth is EVERYONE IS BEATIFUL   and amazing, unique and talented in ...