Dehumanization of People as a Manipulative Method for Control Whether we realize it or not, most of us are guilty of manipulating someone at some point, whether we were consciously doing so or just following our conditioning. After all, the examples we see are what we end up emulating, and oftentimes we human beings are not self-aware or mindful of others, which can inadvertently cause emotional suffering within us as well as those around us. However, awareness brings with it a sudden realization that maybe we should be treating each other better on many different levels. Maybe people will begin to open up their hearts and ask questions rather than just going with whatever someone else says. The dehumanizing labels people put on each other, whether this is coming from groups of people or individuals, are damaging. It’s up to each of us individually to choose to stop and revise our own behaviors. Understanding what dehumanizing someone actually looks like and what it means can help you begin to also understand the energetic effect you may be having on others, and how that can actually attract more undesirable experiences into your life. “Information is light. Ignorance is darkness.” —Joanna Kujath Here's an incredible definition I found for dehumanization: The basic definition of dehumanization is to deny human treatment to someone, and give them subhuman treatment. Such treatment can be doled out to an individual or a group. The offender can be a single person or a group that victimizes fellow humans. The individuality of the victims is ignored, and so are the highly developed cognitive abilities mentioned earlier. Along with these, the victims are shown no compassion. They have to face violence and oppression, and are subjected to various cruelties and indignities. One of the types of dehumanization is animalistic, where the victims are denied any association to unique human traits, and perceived as non-human animals. Mechanistic dehumanization is another type of dehumanization, wherein, the victims are completely denied any human attributes, and in doing so, compared with machines. In both types, the oppressed group is denied of any and all the moral standards that are applicable to humans. It takes away the freedom of the oppressed in an unfair and inhumane manner. Source: https://opinionfront.com/dehumanization-explained-with-examples When it comes to dehumanization or demonizing someone for being themselves, this can happen on many levels and in many different ways. Anytime I showed interest in a belief system outside of Catholicism, I was accused of being possessed by a demon, and of course anyone who had those beliefs and opinions was also possessed by a demon and not to be trusted. This was more often implied than stated flat out (narcissists aren't typically very straight forward; they will often say one thing but actually mean the opposite, or they just change their values based on their moods so that nothing you do or say is ever okay, which creates cognitive dissonance and a feeling of walking on eggshells around this person), but it was implied a LOT. And I was rebellious, so it was implied even more, until finally their true intentions and colors came out during my spiritual awakening, during which I quit drinking alcohol, lost 90 pounds, and stopped over-sharing with people whose opinions I knew wouldn't help me. I started drawing boundaries, and this will only be catastrophic to those people who are trying to control you and have not yet realized what the true definition of love is. A loving, healthy family would show support, encouragement, love, and compassion during a self-initiated change process for the better, but instead, I was accused of being possessed by a demon and very quickly ostracized out of my family... also known as being dehumanized for my attempts at individuation and self-improvement. Now, this doesn't always mean that people who behave in this unconscious and sometimes inadvertently cruel manner are terrible people. They are, simply put, fearful people who are too comfortable within their own ignorance and conditioning to grow their consciousness on purpose as we all shift along with the planet. Until they wake up, which I am sure everyone will eventually. Does that mean I have to put myself back into a situation that is oppressive or toxic to me? Of course not. However, I can be loving, compassionate, and forgiving toward those individuals while I continue living my own life, which does not have to include them as closely as it once did, and does not require their input or approval to be lived by the only one who can live it: me. The same goes for you. While separating from your family can be difficult and painful, sometimes it is for the best, at least temporarily. The main takeaway here is that the unconditional, amazing love you're seeking doesn't have to come from the people whom you've always known. That love can come from a brand new community or tribe of like-minded people who actually take the time to get to know you, not just your labels. More importantly, that unconditional love for you must come from you first. Every situation is different, but it absolutely breaks my heart when a parent or parents can sit there and watch their child, no matter what age, struggle to come out to them and then blatantly judge them and say they disagree rather than accepting that this is their child’s life, period, a whole other human being’s journey, and they have no right to dictate to another human being what is best for them. It is so much wiser to ask questions and approach this topic with a sense of curiosity and openness, a willingness to understand rather than jumping to conclusions and allowing your own discomfort to drive your reactions. That’s the ego talking and a fear-based response, so be aware of this and move through your resistant emotions without taking them out on your child, who has likely been struggling with trying to tell you this news for years and only wants to be accepted and supported. And that’s the core of it, right there. All any of us wants is to feel loved and accepted FOR WHO WE ARE, not for who our parents or anyone else thinks we should be or wants us to be, or even implies we must be in order to continue receiving their love. That conditional love is not divine, nor is it true love; it is merely a surface layer of what humans assume love is based on their ego mind, not based on their soul’s interpretation or their heart… or their loving emotions. These behaviors come from a place of fear, remember? Chances are that if someone is completely against a decision you feel in your heart of hearts is right for you, they may have struggled in the past with something similar and been shut down for it, or they are simply fearful of it because they do not understand. This fear will also cause a hyper-reactive response if someone finds out another person identifies as LGBTQ. Either the person will freak out and shut down or lash out in anger and bigotry, or they will become especially nice and seemingly accepting in person before doing or saying hurtful things behind that person’s back. I was having a conversation with someone and it came out that an individual was trans, and my kids and I witnessed their entire physiology shifting as soon as that came out. The energy I picked up on during this exchange was a fear energy, and I found it pretty disturbing that this individual later said that this information, “changes everything,” which only further perpetuates the separation of a certain group of people from another group who thinks they are somehow superior. Even if you don’t come right out and say anything, your energy and body language will speak way more loudly than your words ever will, and your actions afterwards will speak even more loudly about who you are as a person and how deep your judgment of others runs. If you have begun a practice of mindfulness and nonjudgment, this will not be nearly as detrimental to you or those you are dealing with because you will soften your reactions and be more accepting of those who are different from you. To Anyone Struggling with Gender Identity or Coming Out If you find yourself wrestling with the idea of coming out, then you probably feel deep within yourself that this is the right path for you. It doesn’t matter which label you identify with; that is not the point. The point is that it is your birthright to experience love and abundance within your life, and to take the lessons you can from your experiences and apply them in the way that best serves you, your life, your journey, and your soul’s mission.
There is nothing “wrong” with you, and you are not mentally ill, crazy, possessed, or any other dehumanizing label someone outside of you may choose to attach to you. If you feel that any negative labels actually apply to you due to repetitive conditioning, please seek energy healing help so that you may cut energetic ties with those who do not have your best interests at heart. You are exactly who you are supposed to be, a spark of the divine, an extension of Source energy, and Source does not make mistakes. God does not make mistakes. You are exactly where you need to be, and going through exactly what you need to go through in order to be strengthened, like gold tested in fire. Any turbulence within your life holds a divine lesson for you, and the amazing thing is that it will also hold a divine lesson for anyone else involved, should they choose to accept it. Your life is yours to live as you choose. As long as you are not intentionally harming another living being, you are well within your rights as a human being. I encourage you to continue exploring, asking questions, and critically analyzing anything anyone tells you that is hurtful. Are they coming from a place of love and honesty, where maybe your pride or ego is hurt by a perspective you haven’t considered? Or, as in so many cases, are they coming from a place of fear, where maybe you’re hurt by their willful ignorance or conditional love? If you can, try to read between the lines of anything anyone tells you because chances are it says way more about them than it does about you, just like your words and actions say more about you than they do about anyone you may be talking about. Also, I encourage you to go within and really get to know your truth. Feel it in every fiber of your being, and know that you are walking your own unique path. No one can tell you what to do because you are living a life like no other. If you can begin to go within and tap into your connection to Source energy through your soul, you will know what is right for you and anyone else’s input won’t matter as much. While it’s fine to take others’ input into consideration, you still need to base your choices on what you know is right on every level of your being. If you aren’t sure yet, don’t worry about it. There’s no rush. There is no final destination for an eternal being. There is no, “there.” It is all about the journey itself, and making the most of it so that you can bring back some powerful and incredible insights to the collective and as your contribution to the Akashik records, which we are all co-creating as we speak, whether we are aware of this or not. If someone says they love you, they will either reinforce or destroy that statement via their actions and behaviors toward you. For those of us who have chosen a path that doesn’t follow the status quo, this can often result in a loss of relationships that were not what you originally thought they were. I would like you to understand that you are worthy of the love you desire; you are worthy of the abundance and inner joy you desire. It is the ego that tries to convince us otherwise, and this construct is built upon all of the externally-originating information we soak up throughout our formative years, leading to conditioned behavior and thinking patterns. Imagine how amazing life would be if more of us took each other’s emotional state into consideration, not only for the sake of the relationship itself, but also for the sake of the collective energies and what we contribute to them. Imagine if, rather than assuming and judging and ostracizing those who are different, we embrace them and make an effort to understand where they’re coming from and what unique and amazing ideas and solutions they may come up with simply because they are different. Fitting in is so overrated. If we work on accepting people for who they are rather than trying to force them into a mold, I believe life will be much more satisfying and wonderful to experience. Don’t allow anyone outside of you to dictate your decisions about your life. Getting input is fine, but ultimately, it is your life. I know that trying to wear a mask and fake your way through is completely ridiculous and feels terrible, so I don’t fully understand why someone would force their way of thinking on someone else and cause them to have to be someone other than themselves if they want this person to keep caring about them. That is the definition of conditional love. If we are truly aiming for Christ consciousness or enlightenment, this process must begin with understanding that unconditional love and abundance are our birthright as humans (read: ALL humans), and that humans are mainly capable of conditional love until we awaken. While we cannot force others to see things our way or accept us for who we are rather than who they dictate we should be, we can choose to lead by example and defend our ideas and individuality without resorting to judgy, name-calling closed-mindedness, violence, force, manipulation, control tactics, and so on. Be who you are. Live from your soul, from within. You will get to experience more love, joy, and wonder in this lifetime than anyone who chooses to stay ignorant or resistant to the growth and evolution of the human species as a whole. Remember that love and fear cannot exist within the same being at the same time, so I encourage you to cultivate a perspective of unconditional love for yourself, and not worry so much about what other people think of you or what you’re doing. Let them worry about themselves, and if they choose to judge you, then you will understand it comes from a place of fear and isn’t loving anyway, so what do you need that toxicity for? You can choose to stay away from it or to not take it personally. It may also take a little time for someone to work through their stages of acceptance if and when you do come out, so don’t let these ideas scare you. Again, I’ve had some pretty intense experiences with toxic people throughout my life, so this is just my one perspective, one facet of a multifaceted and multidimensional existence. If your family or community has a history of condemning and judging those who are different, then you can probably deduce they may respond unsupportively to your coming out. However, if your family or community has a history of being supportive, open, and loving, then you can deduce that they will accept you after a period of adjustment, if they haven’t already, no matter what. Love & Light to you, my friends, especially through the tough topics <3. Jen
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Jennifer-Crystal JohnsonSpiritual insights learned through experience, emotional alchemy, and the path to freedom on all levels through practical application of inner work. Archives
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