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Is he really superior to you? || AP Neem Candies
2.6K views
4 years ago
Superiority Complex
Sympathy
Privilege
Normality
Expectations
Human-centricity
Disability
Description

Acharya Prashant questions the basis of feeling superior to others who might be perceived as less fortunate. He asks, if a child is born with one arm instead of two, what have you, with both your arms, achieved? He points out that while the entire mankind has two arms, it is worth questioning what people end up achieving with them. He challenges the notion that one is 'greatly blessed' simply by having able-bodied features. This critique is extended to intellectual capabilities; if someone is born with a low IQ, the speaker asks what great intelligence a person with a high IQ has displayed in their own life. The speaker explains that people tend to gloat over their 'great fortune' and, in parallel, express sympathy for those who do not have matching fortunes. He uses the example of pitying a woman who cannot give birth, asking what is so special about 'normal kids' in the first place. This act of sympathizing with others' perceived misfortunes is often a way to feel superior. This attitude of superiority, he argues, is the same one that makes humans think all animals are at their disposal. Because humans feel privileged with their 'great brain' and 'able body', they believe they can rule over, use, and destroy every other life form on the planet. This critique is also applied to parenting. The speaker questions parents who are depressed about having a child with a genetic issue, asking whether their depression is for the child's sake or for their own. He suggests their distress might stem from the presumed difficulties in raising the child, the loss of face, or the child's inability to compete and uphold the family's brand. Instead of burdening the child with expectations, he posits that parents should apologize for unnecessarily bringing them into the world. He concludes by condemning the act of asserting oneself over a child and demanding that the child owes them something.