The most powerful thing about demonizing others is that we create a scapegoat for our own fears. The most disempowering thing about having a scapegoat is we no longer have to face our own shortcomings.
Learning to improve ourselves
With a scapegoat, or someone to blame for what makes us uncomfortable, we by-pass an essential growth opportunity. We all have shortcomings, blindspots and things that we would rather not face. Until we learn to face our personal issues we remain stuck in a belief that is not real. When something about ourselves we do not like comes up, we blame others. We never allow ourselves to grow, improve or take responsibility for our own action. This is where learning to improve ourselves comes in.
Think about learning to ride a bicycle. The first few times we try, we fall off the bike. If at that point we retreat to blaming the bicycle for our difficulties, we will never ride. If we find ourselves unemployed, we can blame our boss, the person who got our job, the economy or a million other scapegoats. Chances are the real issue was none of these things, it was ourselves. We have something to learn. We need to improve our skills. We have to adapt to changing times, but blaming someone else will do none of these things. Finding a scapegoat may soothe our feelings for the time being, but it will not get us a new job. Learning how to function successfully will keep us employed for the rest of our lives. The issue is not our inability to become successful, it is our unwillingness to try.
It all comes back to me
Every growth, every deepening of understanding, every advancement in life is a direct result of learning to be the best me possible. Read It’s All About Me and find some great tools to stop scapegoating others and becoming a more powerful person.
