Getting beyond "I must avoid morons"

Having had the chance to process my feelings a little further with regard to the upset a few days ago, post London bombs, I had some more thoughts about my rage. I remembered how I felt I understood the rage of a woman who hated all men after being raped, or witnessing rape.

And so I feel justified by my own rage, which I wanted to direct at all Muslims. I mean, if I can accept a woman hating all men for a group of men's crimes against all women, then why shouldn't other people accept my own rage against a group in a similar way? "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them" makes a lot of sense. It's comforting that I can accept my imprefections more.

Looking with a Buddhist perspective, at the "morons" thing at least, I know it would be beneficial for me to realise that it's actually irrelevant what makes people behave either stupidly or violently, senselessly or judgementally - in fact it's actually irrelevant what the reason is for any person's irrational behaviour. The main thing is to NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY when someone attacks. And to simply realise that there is some reason, even though it may not be immediately identifiable, why they're attacking, criticising, or whatever it is.

In that sense, and understanding that principle, I can avoid getting drawn into emotional arguments with the less enlightened folk on GUT.

But a valuable lesson was learned, and I'm enlightened a little further as a result.

I wonder if any of them are?

Maybe I'll never know, just as I'll never know about what became of the deer in the road.

Thinking more on this, I realise that what's bothered me a lot about GU is that I've imagined it represents reality. Like the people on GU are ordinary. WHat they are are people who post online. And the fact that I've been so bothered by the politics of some of them has led me to believe that they're an accurate representation of humanity. That may not necessarily be so.

So that's another reason for me to spend more time elsewhere. It's like being a policeman: when you encounter fools and criminals all day, all you end up doing is thinking the entire world is the same.

And that's not so.