PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS:
the low level violence of ignoring others needs
You could say that it’s a low level violence to ignore others around you / not consider their needs. I had a spiritualist church reading once that told me : “…yes and plays well with others.” This came as a bit of a shock. Strange phrasing, you might say. But then I remembered that this was one of the standard items on a kindergarten report card. Spiritually, and perhaps not just spiritually, I was being considered as one in kindergarten and this was one of the litmus tests for passing, that you knew how to play well with others: to cooperate, be considerate, take other’s point of view into the calculation. In other words moving towards a oneness in spirit with all things.
As it’s a kindergarten requirement, I guess the implication is that it’s really one of the basic human skills we need in order to grow up, basic to our own interests, and the interests of all of life.
In most schools you can walk through the hallways and rarely does anyone ever hold the door for you, no matter how laden down you are. Basic common courtesies are not emphasized, rarely taught, and rarely draw any comment. Even in adult to adult interaction common courtesies are not so common. I’ve been in classrooms with a group of children and often had other adults walk into the room and without saying word to me would go over and remove something from a cupboard and walk off with it or go speak to a child that they remove from the class without a word to me. It’s less that I’m insulted but more that it would be nice to know what’s going on, more comforting, more considerate.
Plays well with others. Nice thought.
Fright Free 