Have you ever read short stories or short sentences with a sloppy morale like be yourself or live in the present. I mean, in fact, these may look like good advices or like it's the right thing to do. But more often, they're not applicable or you can't really tell for sure if you do or if you don't. That's why I say they're sloppy. They exists to make you feel better about yourself so you can believe you're living in the present while still having fights over old events with your ex-husband/wife. Or thinking you're honest and the next thing you do is to call in sick over a lie.
The truth is, and it's sad to say so, people tend to believe they're better person than they actually are. Don't get me wrong, I'm no psychologist, but it may looks like it's a defensive mean and it's a good thing. As a philosopher, I think it's like the fog before your eyes. It prevents you to see clear. You can't help it, but what you do is to lie to yourself and you believe that very lie so you think it's the truth. Don't you think it's pathetic? If you don't, I do. Let me explain you why.
What does growing means? Does it means to get older? I think not. Does it mean to get futher in life like becoming a father? I think not. Growing is about getting better, becoming wiser, being able to use more and more tools out of the lessons life taught you. Do you see what I'm trying to tell you? How can you get better if you lie to yourself about how good you are? How can you grow? No offense meant, but it's a bit stupid don't you think?
Having said that, I do think you're better off telling yourself the truth, even if it hurts, than lying to yourself to manage your feelings about you, about the way you see yourself as a human being. I'm not telling you to never lie. I think it's impossible to never do. But you should never do it to you. You owe this to yourself so you can grow.
Can you imagine if stupid people out there stopped trying? Who would we laugh at? There would be no Fail Blog!!! I say, we can't live without 'em, because we can't kill 'em. :D:D:D
ReplyDeleteWell, this post isn't about stupid people. I don't think there's such a person who's a definitive and absolute stupid. On the other hand, there's a lot of stupid behaviors that even the brightest people sometimes do. One of them is lying to oneself. If you can't handle the very truth about who you are. How can you help yourself ? How can you improve yourself? You can't simply because you don't see much of an hypothetical problem because you think you're already good. And I'm trying to make a point of this by explaining what may be one of many sources of reasons why we sometimes believe we're better than we really are. And one of them is the short sentences or short stories ... like the one about judging others you read on tagz.
ReplyDeleteThere is a zesting energy here. I like your new place, my friend. That said, I've been doing my bit of thinking on the matter for quite a while. Whatever it's worth, here it is...
ReplyDeleteThere are two kind of audience. Active and passive. Needless to say, television and mainstream media made passive audiences the majority. How many times my family told me: "it's true, it was on TV". Audiences receives and accepts the heavily mediated lifestyle that is proposed by television. For example, now, the UFC isn't a blood sport anymore, it's the "assholes with glitter shirts" in-thing. It's been mediated upon us in a way to shape the main audience into this ultra-consumerist group. A passive audience can be counted in figures, not human souls.
A good narrative requires active participation. It's so goddamn zesting to be touched by a story, because you recognize your trials and tribulations through those of another.
"Eat, Pray, Love" I think, is a good example of what you advance. It's telling audience..."Hey, want to feel better about your empty, consumer existence? Dump your husband and spend some more". I don't believe in pop psychology, neither in "life lessons to be learned through a story". It's all bullshit to keep you from growing restless and wanting to change stuff.
Congrats on the new blog, consider me a fan.
I couldn't be more accurate than you on this Ben. The speech you just wrote made me think twice about how easily we've been influenced and distracted from some kind of "truth".
ReplyDeleteIt's been either coincidently imposed or genially engineered to keep us away from a not so distant reality. I'm trying hard to reconnect with it.
Down that road, I wish I'll find the meaning of my useless existence and if I don't then at least I might find why I don't have one. Nonetheless, I've got little to loose.
Whatever help or ideas you can share through comments is more than welcome.