every creeping thing
I have for a long time found fault with people who believe the entire world was created just for them. Most of the time these people are religious, mostly christian, mostly men. This is because the bible describes the world, with all its bits and pieces, as such. God created all of this earth stuff and put man here to reap the benefits. Then man was like, "Yo, god, I need something else to reap, if you know what I mean." And god gave unto him a ladyfriend.
I have always found fault with this king-of-the-world attitude because of its extreme self-centeredness. I had to defend myself against the bible a lot during my eleven vegetarian years, because it was always christians who would pick a fight with me about it. It was always christians who believed that animals were created for us to eat them and wear them and use them to carry our shit around. It was always christians who really enjoyed telling me how right they were.
I'm not a vegetarian any more. But that doesn't mean that I think a chicken's sole purpose for existence is to provide me with eggs for scrambling and a tasty, protein-rich accompaniment to the dumpling. I think a chicken has its own reasons to be alive, as I have mine, and they're both equally valid. Unfortunately for the chicken, my life involves occasionally eating chicken. Unfortunately for whatever chickens eat, chickens eat whatever chickens eat.
I judge men for this attitude more often, because I believe that a lot of men look at a woman the same way they look at a chicken. Not that they want to slather her in buffalo sauce and ranch dressing...although I'm sure there's a website somewhere dedicated to just that...but that they believe women were made for their benefit.
I was walking to the 7-11 yesterday morning, and there was a group of men standing outside and they turned and looked at me in the way that a group of men turns and looks at a woman. And I thought, it must be nice.
It must be nice to look at a person and think: That person was created for me. She looks how I like a person to look. Her parts are made to fit my parts. Her brain is wired to want me and my looks and my parts. And there are millions of her all over the world. How perfect. Thank you, god.
I don't know if women ever think this way. Where guys often seem to look at every woman as an opportunity, women often have to look at every man as a potential threat. Men carry condoms in their wallets. Women carry mace on their keychains. Both are for just in case.
But that short walk yesterday for my morning coffee started me thinking that maybe the men and the christians and all the people who share this mentality are more right than I've ever been.
I've been all wrong.
They're halfway there.
I was jealous of those guys outside of the 7-11, because I want to look at a woman that way. I want to look at her and think: hot damn that woman was made just for me can you fucking imagine how we'd fit together holy shit. Usually I just think: she's probably straight.
I think believing the whole world was created for you is halfway right. The other half is believing that you were created for the whole world. Believe that chickens exist for you. Also believe that you exist for chickens. Believe that women were made for you. Believe that you were made for women, and men, and shrubs, and octopuses...
If everyone truly believed this, I think our world would be much more in balance. It's not just "What can you do for your country?" but "What can you do for your universe?" You're no more important than a speck of dust. But you're no less important either. Everything exists as much as you do. Everything is made for everything else.
The solution to living with those who believe this selfishly, is to not break them of their beliefs. The solution is to rise to them. To allow them to keep on believing that everything here was made for them. But we have to climb the mountain they're already looking down from. Or better yet, bring the base of the mountain up to meet its peak. It's no longer everything beneath you was made for you, but everything around you exists with you. How much less exhausting would the world be if there were no ladder to race up. We are all already kings.
From now on, I intend to walk around with the complete audacity to think that this world was made for me, and I was made to be a part of it.