Holier Than Thou

Making others feel important, while putting themselves down, is a subtle strategy people use to control others. When we make somebody feel very ‘high’, we gain power over them because we can either keep them high or throw them down.

Staying on a pedestal can feel very good and special; most people enjoy that trip, and in order to enjoy they have to fulfill a few conditions, such as, “Don’t do this; it doesn’t suit you. Don’t do that; it is below your dignity. Keep your status.” You see the manipulation.

The man on the pedestal cannot live his own life. He is completely dependent upon others, who will control and manipulate him, while making him feel like a god. That’s the trick, and it is an ancient, time-tested trick.

After staying on the pedestal for some time, people fear coming down and becoming ordinary once again. Others take advantage of this fear for their own gain.

Making others feel low or high are tools of manipulation and control. If someone is low they can be repressed and punished; if someone is high they can be thrown from the pedestal. Only an equal person cannot be controlled. Only an equal person is free.

So, beware from either climbing on a pedestal or making yourself feel lower than others. Both ways you can be manipulated. All pedestals are a kind of disease. 

Being ordinary is the only birthplace of freedom. Only ordinary people can be natural, alive and true. Considering each other equal in our ordinariness is the greatest respect we can pay to each other as human beings.