Licking the Razor's Edge (2015)

In essence, when we choose to see life as a struggle as
opposed to a journey, we tend to see others as
competitors as opposed to caregivers; as enemies as
opposed to allies. And when our primary purpose in life
is more to survive in personal comfort than to serve
others in pain, we who do not feel good about ourselves
will do almost anything to make ourselves feel better –
including celebrating the suffering of another.
The CONSEQUENCES of CALLOUSNESS
Despite the popular notion that refusing to deeply Care for others is “no big deal”,
callousness is a significant problem, for the consequences of withholding our empathy for
others are as powerful as they are immense. In fact, if left unchecked, callousness
steadily destroys the very fabric of our lives – ultimately making our pleasures
meaningless, our successes brittle and our joys hollow …
*CALLOUSNESS ENTRENCHES ENEMIES
Choosing to rejoice in the downfalls and discomforts of those not in “our herd” only
ensures that those people will remain our enemies – and that they will almost assuredly
rejoice in our own future tragedies as well. The solution for Peace in our lives is not the
domination of all those who oppose us, but rather rests solely in the persistent reaching
out to those enemies with Compassion – and thereby transforming them into allies.
*CALLOUSNESS DESTROYS INTIMACY
The more we withhold our Kindness from strangers and
enemies, the more our base-level of empathy withers and
crumbles. The less we choose to Care for strangers — and even
our enemies, the more we ultimately distance ourselves from
our own Loved Ones as well.
*CALLOUSNESS ENGENDERS “PSEUDO-SOCIOPATHY”
A sociopath is someone who refuses to show empathy for others, who has poor control
over selfish impulses, and who exhibits behaviors that cause others pain. Quite obviously,
while choosing callousness does not make one a sociopath, it certainly evidences all three
of these characteristics – and certainly starts one down a Life-Path that ultimately causes
immense suffering for self & others. We are not here to “be happy”, my Friends … We
are here to ease the sadness of those nearby. And we cannot do so with hollow, “nice”
gestures performed from a sense of manipulation or obligation. Rather, we must set our
callousness aside … and have the courage to Care.
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