Man's Inhumanity to Man

The phrase "Man's Inhumanity to Man" is first documented in the Robert Burns poem called Man was made to mourn: A Dirge in 1784. It is possible that Burns reworded a similar quote from Samuel von Pufendorf who in 1673 wrote, "More inhumanity has been done by man himself than any other of nature's causes."

In the U.S., overall violent crime levels were pushed upward in 2016 in part by the increase in killings in some major cities such as Chicago. That city saw a drop in both murders and shootings in 2017, according to Chicago police statistics.
What happened in other big cities last year varied across the country. New York City saw a remarkable drop in murders, shootings and crime, with all three numbers continuing to decline.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, had 317 homicide victims last year, up from 277 the year before. Baltimore ended 2017 with a record-setting 343 homicides, prompting the city's mayor to abruptly replace the police commissioner amid increasing pressure to combat the crime there.

Even though some big cities were still seeing more violence in 2017 than the year before, the Brennan Center for Justice said in an analysis last month that it expected the overall crime rate and violent crime rate in the country's largest cities to decline slightly. Mass shootings, however, especially in schools, continue to rise at a meteoric rate.

What is the root cause of man's inhumanity to man? According to Michael Mason, there are several misconceptions that cause man’s inhumanity to man:

1. Ego identification: we often view ourselves as are our ego. How many disputes between individuals and nations stem from our ego need to be right? This causes endless disputes from quarrels between loved ones to wars between nations. Our ego is the the adversary. If there is a devil, it is our uncontrolled ego.

2. Individualist mentality and separation: We see ourselves as being separate from everyone and everything. ("We Are All One" @ http://liomsaland.blogspot.com/2015/10/we-are-all-one.html) How can we do unto others what we would not have other do unto us?

3. Lack of self-knowledge: We believe that we die. ("Who are You?" @ http://liomsaland.blogspot.com/2015/12/hello-who-are-you.html) This stems from the perception that we are our body. We perceive incorrectly everything and every one outside of ourselves as separate from ourselves. This is because we limit our perception to our physical senses: sight, sound, smell, and touch. These senses tell us, incorrectly, that there is physical space between ourselves and others. Therefore we are obviously separate individuals. Based on the limitations of our physical senses we behave accordingly. We categorize and separate into categories and subcategories that are almost endless: individuals, family, siblings, mates, relatives, friends, neighbors, religious groups, ethnicity, members of our city, state, country, language, professions, gender, age groups, hobbies, belief systems, and on and on. Labels that are stereotypical and misleading at best. Labels that separate us rather than unite us in our commonality. (http://liomsaland.blogspot.com/2017/08/during-these-times-of-internal-conflict.html)

4. Bravado: We lack the fear of pain, fear of failure. Ultimately, all fear boils down to fear of death. This gives us a false sense of security and and invites us to carry those chips on our shoulders.

5. Supply and demand: there is a belief that there is not enough for everyone: not enough food, not enough money, not enough resources, not enough space, housing, healthcare, medicine, clean water, clean air, clothing. This list goes on and puts us immediately in a fight for survival mode, us vs them. One counter measure, the "Universal Law", states that to give is to receive. It is our willingness to give what we wish to receive that keeps the abundance of our existence circulating in our lives.

We can overcome all these short-comings. A start is to return to the so-called lesson of the "golden rule". To do so, however, others must not be really perceived as others”, but, in truth, another part of you. Then the golden rule can be perceived as it was meant to be perceived: do unto that part of you what you would do unto this part of you.

As you perceive the person with whom you are having a dispute with, imagine perceiving the spark of divinity that is the true essence of that person, for Deity is in all of us. As you perceive that spark of divinity, imagine that it is connected to your spark of divinity by an indestructible golden energy beam. Then imagine a powerful magnet that instantly pulls the two sparks together, eliminating the concept of duality as you become one powerful spark of divinity, becoming one with that person and no longer perceiving them as separate, understanding them and their perspective.

Peace and Blessings as you contemplate your daily actions and interactions relative to the ideal of world peace and harmony.