Most of the... arrows with which we shoot ourselves come from our beliefs. One basic problem that causes us to suffer is the idea that we are a separate self. This gives rise to the complexes of inferiority, superiority, and equality. As long as we have the idea of a self, we try to protect this self by running away from all kinds of threats and discomforts. If there is some loneliness, some anger, or some fear, we don't like it and we try to pretend that the suffering is not there. "It's nothing," we say, nervously trying to sweep all the feelings under the rug.
We create unnecessary pain when our reaction to an unpleasant event is to compare our self with other selves, reinforcing our illusion of separateness. We may feel a fleeting satisfaction when we tell ourselves, "I am better than he is. I don't care what he says." That's the complex of superiority. Or we may try to immunize ourselves from disappointment by thinking, "I'll never be as good as she is. There's no point in trying." That's the complex of inferiority. Most people think the best way to deal with these complexes is to maintain the belief, "I am their equal." But that is also a complex invented by the comparing mind.
Equality, when it refers to opportunity and access to resources, in other words treating everyone's needs and feelings with respect, is a good thing. But the constant effort to prove one's self equal to all others brings only short-lived relief from the pain of discrimination—and, ultimately, creates more suffering because it perpetuates our incorrect belief in a separate self. If we think, "I claim the right to be as good as he is," there is still the idea of a separate self, and therefore there will always be comparison. As long as you continue to compare, you suffer from the fear of coming up short; and, even worse, you keep yourself trapped in a constant, painful delusion of isolation and alienation.