We all knew kids from grade school to college who were picked on, ridiculed, or shunned. Some of them suffered just because of the way they looked or maybe because they acted a little “different.”
There is an almost universal inhumanity that must be primal in nature’s weak/strong process. In the animal kingdom the weak are left to die or are killed outright.
Fortunately, most of the time in the human kingdom, those who seem weak or different and suffer the group ridicule are allowed to go on with their lives, albeit, with more difficulty and psychic pain.
Books and movies often display stories of the so-called ugly ducklings, blossoming into beauty, talent, or bazillions of dollars, only to outshine their contemporaries and make the bullies look stupid and foolish, which they most assuredly were anyway.
There are many great real life stories of success and powering through such difficulties. They too are inspiring and in some cases downright awesome examples of the human spirit.
I love those stories as they are always reminders to us that someone overcame worse odds than we had yet still prospered.
It’s why I love the concept of “Your Inner Wizard,” that power that we can call up to help us overcome the worst possible odds. All of us have a reservoir of inner power that we frequently don’t realize. This is where Emerson’s quote is so apt: “Most of us go to our graves with our sweetest music still unplayed.”
I saw a clip on YouTube (see below) that blew me away. It’s also the perfect example of the horrific judgment we can render as a group over someone who seems a bit different or doesn’t fit the mold of what is thought to be the right “type.”
Watch the shots of the audience as this woman, Susan Boyle, is introduced. Her physical appearance and somewhat awkward responses got reactions from the judges and members of the audience that should make us all rethink the next time we prejudge anyone on first appearances. Wait until you see the outcome!
Look at Simon Cowell's, face before and after. The same with the audience and the other judges.
You are in for a few minutes of bliss and a lesson in basic humanity.
