Meditation on a quote by Dennis Wholey

"Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian." ~ Dennis Wholey

Yes, being a good and kind person doesn't quite guarantee that we won't be treat unfairly by the world because we may at times come across or encounter people who are at war within themselves, and we may be unfortunate recipients of their own self-hatred and jealousy. Even for the peacemakers who seek to do good and bring justice and freedom to the oppressed, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Gandhi, John Lennon, Rob Bell and so on, they have been attacked by those who are jealous of them. Perhaps we have to accept the fact that we live in a world system that is influencing people in a negative way through the separatist and egoistic mindset, and remember we are not of the world. This will help us remember to keep a distance from those who tend to hurt us/others, and remain focused on who we are and what we can do to help make the world a better place in our own ways.

Moving beyond the society's definition of success

“The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.” ― David Orr, Ecological Literacy

Yes, our planet doesn't need more successful people because the society's definition of "success" is anti-Earth and anti-humanity, since people's competition for more wealth, possession, recognition, social status, etc only serves to create division and discrimination among humankind as well as over-exploit natural resources and cause environmental degradation and species extinction.

It is more important and sane to seek to make the world habitable and humane through championing equal rights and promoting freedom and peace as well as working towards environment conservation. Like what David Orr said, these qualities have little to do with the society's definition of "success".

“I think the greatest people in (our) society carve niches that represent the unique expression of their combination of talent.” Neil deGrasse Tyson