This solution will also help anyone who knowingly or uknowingly feels inferior and wants to overcome an inferiority-complex.
The words inferior and superior are thrown around a lot, but when it comes to human beings, these words have the potential and tend to generate a lot of emotional pain. These words are sometimes used by individuals who can’t tell you with precision, what these words mean.
When talking and comparing non-human objects, humans sometimes use the words inferior and superior to mean they like or prefer one object more than the other. People sometimes use these words to say some people are more inferior or superior than others, but what is really being said in such situations?
A subset of people who use these terms believe that some humans were born or are just “better” than other humans. The question becomes, why do they believe this? A number of these people hold this belief based on what they externally observe. For example, some people think that groups of people that have more money than others are superior to those with less money. What these people sometimes overlook is that someone can have more resources or capabilities in one aspect of life and be weaker in others.
To eliminate the unhappiness that comes with you or others thinking you’re inferior, we recommend that you realize that you probably unknowingly think you should feel bad in certain scenarios when you notice you aren’t as strong as someone in certain categories. The label inferior is a word you or others use when this phenomenon plays out in your life. In other words, rather than look at you being weaker than someone in a certain category neutrally and taking note of that reality, you both knowingly or unknowingly think you should feel bad about this undesirable reality and label this reality as meaning you’re inferior. You can read the Anxiety Paradox in the recommended reading section towards the bottom of the page if you’d like to understand this more. To summarize, the word inferior actually doesn’t have a universal meaning but it’s a word you or others use to label certain realities or observable phenomena that you or others think people should feel bad about.
What does it mean to be better* than someone else?
The idea that some humans are fundamentally “better” than other humans cannot be verified by science or any human on this earth. Why? In order for people to believe in the concepts of superiority and inferiority, they have to accept the opinion or point of view of other humans as a source of universal truth. Keep in mind that you are a human just like them.
When you realize that the word inferior is usually a way to make others and ourselves feel bad, you can then decide that being viewed as inferior is no longer a reason for you to feel bad or unhappy. Yes, you probably don’t want to be called or viewed as inferior but if your internal peace is of priority, you will eventually decide to be ok with that happening.
With this awareness, you can remove the sting of people thinking or calling you inferior. The reality is that some people in the world do believe that some humans are better than others but that doesn’t mean that you have to believe or agree with them. You can know that whenever someone labels you in this way, they likely lack the awareness to know why they’re using that word or why they’re viewing others like this.
Times when we or others sometimes use the word inferior:
– Not being able to do certain things
– Not being able to do certain things other people can do
– Making certain mistakes
– Making mistakes in general
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*Note: “Better” can mean different things to different people. “Better” can also mean different things in different situations. Why does this matter? Whenever you or someone else uses the word better, you can self-reflect to identify precisely what you mean by better. This will help you strip away any emotional pain or anxiety that comes when you use or think of that word and allow you to view your situation more objectively.
Recommended reads for overcoming social anxiety (link)
There’s more
If you struggle with low self-esteem, self-consciousness, low self-worth, or low self-confidence we encourage you to view our self-help solutions for these and other common psychological challenges.
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