I read this week that children who see an individual being treated badly are much more likely to blame the recipient of the abuse than to consider the tormenter responsible. And this blame comes with no explanation or knowledge of why the individual is being treated badly; the children simply believe the individual deserves it. I am going to extrapolate from this research to a premise, knowing that my “leap” may be just that; but it feels right.

The Premise: Not only a strong majority of all of us but also a strong majority of those who consciously deny it, believe that bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people; with one partial exception.

The Exception: When something bad happens to me, I do not deserve it. When something bad happens to anyone else? Yes. They have done something bad to bring on the bad. What goes around comes around and all that. Right? Except for me, of course. I am the exception.

This exception extends to family and friends whom we know well, but still falls under the umbrella of “me” because the closer they are the more their misfortune impacts me, and because I know I am the exception it is logical to conclude that they too are an exception.

So what? It is the way of the world, right? I believe it does not have to be.

Today we are smarter than we have ever been. I know looking around some days, it is difficult to fathom that; but I believe it to be true.

I believe a very large majority of us can understand the logic that follows: if I am the exception because I am me, and if everyone has this concept of self entrenched within their being, then everyone is the exception because everyone is me and no one should have bad things happen to them.

The saddest part is that because there are so many powerful, pretentious bullies and abusers, many of their victims are convinced that they do deserve bad things to happen to them and some believe that good things will not or cannot happen to them and they give up.

The most difficult part to overcome though is not the individual bullies; they will come and go. The most difficult part to overcome is the gangs of bullies; like the Republicans and the Democrats, and the theists and the atheists, and the wealthy, and the bureaucrats, and all of the smaller bands of victimizers, formed and found within and around, (and learning from the example of), the larger gangs.

Belief in The Premise (conscious or not) and belief in The Exception is supported by confirmation bias and anecdotal evidence and perpetuated by superficial reasoning and ignorance. And anyone who actively identifies with a gang or band of bullying pretenders, (no matter how desperate the denial), is working to support and perpetuate their belief.

We have to move from superficial reasoning and ignorance to a depth of analysis that will bring us to better understand the necessity of seeing Humanity as One; the necessity of survival. We have to move past our fear. Any active division between us and them justifies a degree of unreasonable and/or unwarranted fear, which in turn justifies further division between us and them. I believe we are smarter than this. I believe we have to be smarter than this.

Our fear is misdirected. We are afraid of them when we should be afraid of us. For those who understand that everyone is me, it is logical to conclude that there is no us and them, there is only me which is in actuality us; all of us. There is no way to divide me. I am one. Yet fear continues to rule.

So what? It is the way of the world, right?

I believe it does not have to be.