Victimhood

One thing is certain - most humans will find someone or something to blame when confronting hardship, trauma and failure. Adverse circumstances and victimhood go hand-in-hand. In fact, adopting a posture of victimhood is so prevalent that it is widely accepted as normal behavior and generally transparent to human discernment.

Why does it matter?

Because victimhood is by far the most common source of limitation for human beings.

What is victimhood?

There are obvious and hidden variations. In many situations, a (human) perpetrator is identified and blamed for the present circumstances. Perhaps the perpetrator committed some infraction, legal or moral. In which case, the victim seizes the moral high ground of righteousness, but in turn forfeits many of life's benefits - such as love, happiness, vitality, responsibility, capability and capacity. Often there is no perpetrator at all, or at least none readily identified. Does it change the result for the victim? Not really, the same self-imposed limits arise.

More subtle forms of victimhood are both numerous and insidious. One common embodiment is the victim of circumstance. In this context, the sufferer rues some creation-imposed condition(s), such as illness, poverty, disadvantage, misfortune, catastrophe, or other affliction. The perpetrator is reality itself, as if this external actor had a grievance to settle with the injured party.

In every case, victimhood is a posture, a perception of experience that says, "I am not responsible". Notwithstanding any elemental truth(s), one is aligned with a distinct perspective of incapacity towards all that is. It is this alignment that taints all subsequent experience.

How does it create limits?

In truth, the underlying causes of present circumstances, if they exist at all, are unknown. Certainly, numerous explanations can be concocted, and human beings generally indulge heavily in this activity. Whatever the case, the perspective taken in response to one's experience imparts an impression (karma). The sum total of these impressions is (by and large) hidden from one's own view (occulted).

One of the natural laws of creation is that there are no (innate) limits. However, limits are (self) imposed in the form of karma. In essence, one's impressions create the hidden boundaries of perception. This process can unfold as a self reinforcing feedback loop. Each impression feeds into and bolsters the next. However, nothing lasts forever, and the evolution of experience eventually transcends all boundaries.

Self-imposed negative feedback is exactly the plight of the victim. The posture of victimhood is implicitly a declaration of limitation. It states that one lacks power over creation, and the power belongs to someone or something else. The momentum of each successive experience tends to sustain this perspective. Whether this posture and corresponding perspective is evident to oneself or not is irrelevant. One simply will not (and functionally cannot) move beyond such self-imposed limits.

How to move beyond?

It's a difficult question, because the knee-jerk reaction is to shift blame to oneself. Too many times I've seen new age gurus fall into this trap. Am I the cause of my own disease and/or distress? I've already explained that this isn't so, but I'll say it again for emphasis. The causes (if any) are unknown. To blame oneself is to sustain the posture of a victim (and to become the perpetrator as well). This only leads to self-hatred and all of its consequences. That's a whole topic on its own.

Instead, consider the possibility of no perspective. No cause(s), no blame, no conclusion(s). To remove perspective is also to remove the imposition of limits. Very simple, but not necessarily easy. Karma's a bitch, as the old saying goes. Usually, it takes practice (focused attention over time); most people are not accustomed to focusing on letting go of their (most cherished) ideas.

What are the benefits?

Human existence implies a certain amount of pain. Without this pain there is little chance of growth. The sages say that beings in the heavenly realms are too comfortable to make changes. And beings in the hell realms are too preoccupied with suffering to do anything other than struggle to escape it. Thus, it is believed that the earthly realm strikes an ideal balance between extremes.

To accept pain without victimhood is to live for growth and new possibilities beyond perceived limits. To explore is to travel without any map or preconceived knowledge of the territory. It may not feel comfortable, but it does enchant and inspire.