Here's a hypothetical example of how this integral system can work. I'm not saying this is what happened, I'm just using it as an example to show how we're interconnected.
- First Event:
- On Nov 22, 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, police officer Timothy Loehmann kills 12 year old Tamir Rice. [1]
- Second Event:
- Taliban militants in Pakistan read the news about the events in the USA and get new ideas about killing children.
- On Dec 16, 2014 in Peshawar, Pakistan, Taliban militants kill 132 school children and 9 adults, 141 people in total.
- Reaction:
- Hypocrisy:
- Not knowing that the two events are interconnected through the influence of our social environment, that the first event is responsible for influencing the second event, the same people who support the police officer shooting in the USA, condemn the Taliban shooting in Pakistan. If the shooting in the USA had never happened, the shooting in Pakistan would never have happened.
- Both events are deplorable and shouldn't have happened, yet in both cases, those responsible find their own ways of 'justifying' the killings.
- The details of the events are different, but they're similar in that children are dead at the hands of a police officer and Taliban militants.
- If I slap someone and somebody sees me do it, then - having influenced them - they go slap someone and I condemn them for it, I'd be a hypocrite. Instead, we should seek to do good to others and to benefit them in positive and constructive ways. By so doing, we'll influence others to do the same.
We have to change from personal selfishness (seeking to benefit ourselves) to mutual bestowal (seeking to benefit others).
Through the influence of our social environment (family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, school, work, hobbies, radio, TV, movies, the internet, magazines, newspapers, books etc.), when we behave in negative and destructive ways, we influence others to do the same, and when we behave in positive and constructive ways, we influence others to do the same.
We live in an integral system that's interconnected and interdependent. Events in one part of the system affects things elsewhere.
Instead of influencing others in negative and destructive ways, we should seek to influence others in positive and constructive ways.
In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.
We live in an integral system that's interconnected and interdependent. Events in one part of the system affects things elsewhere.
Instead of influencing others in negative and destructive ways, we should seek to influence others in positive and constructive ways.
In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.
_________
References:
- Shooting of Tamir Rice. www.en.wikipedia.org. Retrieved Dec 19, 2014.
- Pakistan Taliban: Peshawar school attack leaves 141 dead. www.bbc.com. Dec 16, 2014. Retrieved Dec 19, 2014.
Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
