The greatest teachers are those duplicitous, conniving, manipulative individuals who do not know their self; who do not appear to have a clue. The greatest single teacher is my self. So much to learn; yet I don't listen. Instead I continue to believe I know, or that I at least know better, and I am incapable of seeing beyond me (my conscious self) to listen to and to understand others much less seeing within me to perhaps glimpse any Truth. To what end is merely living in a delusional moment that is held together by imaginary constructs and justified by the rhetorical quiescence of duplicitous, conniving, manipulative individuals.
So what? Right? If cautionary pretense is one's inescapable nature in conscious interaction, and if another comes along open and vulnerable but also truthful then the first individual will likely sense their advantage and utilize that to discount the truthfulness. And even if two individuals share a degree of vulnerability and truthfulness, one's inescapable nature will invariably surface thus also drawing out the other's cautionary pretense and again we have two duplicitous, conniving, manipulative individuals. And if it is inevitable with only two individuals how on Earth (indeed) do we progress as cities, states, nations, species? So, so what? When if I work to learn I am (still and regardless) incapable of moving those who are not working at it to the extent I am, what does it matter that I help myself if I cannot help anyone else and if I’m being completely truthful I’m probably not helping myself as much as I would like to pretend.
All I've got is, perhaps since it is a given that each and every one of us (including and most especially me) is a duplicitous, conniving, manipulative individual, we take action based on expert opinion and consensus fact; and we learn that power does not make one an expert and loudness does not create a consensus. Perhaps we could focus on vulnerability.
Vulnerability: susceptibility to harm. To be vulnerable is to be less powerful. Perhaps we can ignore the past, recognize and work to understand the moment, and build the future with empathy and compassion. Does it really matter how another came to be vulnerable? The fact is they are there, and if it is a place I would not want to be and unless I am God, it feels reasonable that I should work to build their future with widespread empathy and compassion.
The inanity of one insisting they are all-knowing and able to Judge fairly, equitably, with no bias, speaks for itself.
The inanity of one insisting that our system of justice is Justice speaks for itself.
The inanity of one insisting that each and every one of us is deserving of our circumstance speaks for itself.
The inanity of one insisting they are not duplicitous, conniving or manipulative speaks for itself.