Am I the Hero Here?

We are so fixed on seeing ourselves as the protagonist of our story, but what if we're not. What if you're not the hero, you're the villian, or worse what if you're not even the bad guy, you're just the henchmen? This is why as a species the human race will always be working against each other. We can never fully empathize with another's situation because we can only understand the situation as it pertains to our personal experience. 

For instance the riots in Ferguson that were happaning a few weeks ago, as I read the statuses of close friends and distant acquaintances I found myself judging the validity of the statments being made by how they affected how I see myself and how I want to see myself. I instantly stopped reading statuses that condemend all white people as racist biggots, because I'm the hero here right? I'm who this story is about so all white people can't be assholes. Then a few statuses down the next person would be making un-qualified statements about the situation itself as well as horrible statements about black people in general, and I would think, nope I definitly do not agree with this either. For these people as well as myself it wasn't about the case at all, it was about how the very possibility of the case made us feel. 

In school our kids are taught how to deal with bullies. They're taught how to prevent being bullied or other people being bullied, but they aren't taught how to recognize if they are the bully and how to deal with that if they are. When my daughter comes home telling me that every grade in her school meets with the school counselor every week to learn about how to deal with bullies I questioned what was really being taught here. They're being taught to avoid these people, how and when to tattle on these people, and how to deal with it once they are being bullied. Doesn't it seem like you can avoid all of that by just meeting with these kids and teaching them how to not be tiny assholes? Couldn't we save so much heartache by just teaching them how to empathize and see the way they are capable of damaging others?

We aren't capable of stepping outside of ourselves and looking at a situation objectively because we see ourselves as true north. If a situation affects us in a negative manner it must be bad, regardless of how much good it may do for others. We act like only sociopaths have a hard time really grasping that the universe isn't like the light in the fridge, it doesn't turn off when we close our eyes. Other people don't cease to exist once they're out of our story line, they go on living and feeling and breathing, they are just like us. 

These were my shower thoughts for the night. I dunno about you but not thinking of myself as the hero of my story really messes with my perception of the pastt.