GRR.
You know what sickens me? Opportunistic people.
op.por.tu.NIS.tic. adj.
Taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit.
In biology, an opportunistic organism is one that takes advantage of another organism's weaknesses in order to advance its own survival. A lichen, for instance, growing on a tree, cannot begin to grow there until the tree is ill, and then as the lichen grows stronger, the tree grows weaker and eventually dies, leaving the lichen with all the resources and nutrients the tree had, plus a better access to sunlight because it was able to climb the tree and emerge from the canopy of other trees' leaves.
In epidemiology, an opportunistic disease is one that preys on the body when its defenses are down. This is what kills people with AIDS. The HIV virus weakens their body, their immune system, and then another disease of some sort that would never ever be able to invade a healthy body has a prime opportunity to waltz right in and destroy a life.
These occur in nature and really are terrible phenomena, yes, but part of the natural balance of life nonetheless. But what's worse, and not at all natural, is the genre of opportunistic friend. See, in order to be a friend in the first place, a person has to infiltrate your life, engage you mentally, emotionally...get to know you. Act like they care. Make you trust them, and care for them, and respect their opinion, and want to please them. Make you rely on them and think that you can depend on them. And then, once you're well and truly hooked, and at your most vulnerable, that's when they strike you down. This is so much worse than any sort of parasite -- yes, parasite, because that's the general term for an opportunistic organism -- in nature, because not only do these people exploit your weakness, but they also cause it in the first place. They get you to let down your guard, and then they destroy you from the inside.
Friendship should not be about self-advancement. While a friendship can involve things like...relying on someone to stroke your ego when you're feeling wounded, or seeking out your connections to help you forward, or knowing that you have someone there who will pick you up when you fall down, in a real friendship, you have to be willing to give as good as you get. Because face it, it is human nature to be selfish, and everyone is out for him or herself, and nobody owes you a damn fucking thing. Friendships work because a friendship is built on mutual trust and understanding and appreciation, and if you can't offer them as much as they offer you, there's something wrong with that relationship. When you become friends with someone, really friends, you have to know when to put their needs and wants and feelings before your own. Because otherwise? You're just a parasite.
This is not directed at any of you. I love you all very dearly, and am so blessed to have you as my friends, because you never make me feel anything but loved. I sincerely hope I am able to do the same for you, because you all deserve nothing but the very greatest affection and respect and support. I just had to say this because it has come to my attention that someone I love very dearly has been hurt by this phenomenon, repeatedly, and it makes me want to pull out the semiautomatic and start doling out payback. This is not a joke. I'm a peaceful, loving person until you start hurting mine, and then I will lay the smack down without the slightest bit of hesitation. I just thought it might be better to get it out in verbal form, at least for the time being. Because really, I look like shit in orange.
op.por.tu.NIS.tic. adj.
Taking immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit.
In biology, an opportunistic organism is one that takes advantage of another organism's weaknesses in order to advance its own survival. A lichen, for instance, growing on a tree, cannot begin to grow there until the tree is ill, and then as the lichen grows stronger, the tree grows weaker and eventually dies, leaving the lichen with all the resources and nutrients the tree had, plus a better access to sunlight because it was able to climb the tree and emerge from the canopy of other trees' leaves.
In epidemiology, an opportunistic disease is one that preys on the body when its defenses are down. This is what kills people with AIDS. The HIV virus weakens their body, their immune system, and then another disease of some sort that would never ever be able to invade a healthy body has a prime opportunity to waltz right in and destroy a life.
These occur in nature and really are terrible phenomena, yes, but part of the natural balance of life nonetheless. But what's worse, and not at all natural, is the genre of opportunistic friend. See, in order to be a friend in the first place, a person has to infiltrate your life, engage you mentally, emotionally...get to know you. Act like they care. Make you trust them, and care for them, and respect their opinion, and want to please them. Make you rely on them and think that you can depend on them. And then, once you're well and truly hooked, and at your most vulnerable, that's when they strike you down. This is so much worse than any sort of parasite -- yes, parasite, because that's the general term for an opportunistic organism -- in nature, because not only do these people exploit your weakness, but they also cause it in the first place. They get you to let down your guard, and then they destroy you from the inside.
Friendship should not be about self-advancement. While a friendship can involve things like...relying on someone to stroke your ego when you're feeling wounded, or seeking out your connections to help you forward, or knowing that you have someone there who will pick you up when you fall down, in a real friendship, you have to be willing to give as good as you get. Because face it, it is human nature to be selfish, and everyone is out for him or herself, and nobody owes you a damn fucking thing. Friendships work because a friendship is built on mutual trust and understanding and appreciation, and if you can't offer them as much as they offer you, there's something wrong with that relationship. When you become friends with someone, really friends, you have to know when to put their needs and wants and feelings before your own. Because otherwise? You're just a parasite.
This is not directed at any of you. I love you all very dearly, and am so blessed to have you as my friends, because you never make me feel anything but loved. I sincerely hope I am able to do the same for you, because you all deserve nothing but the very greatest affection and respect and support. I just had to say this because it has come to my attention that someone I love very dearly has been hurt by this phenomenon, repeatedly, and it makes me want to pull out the semiautomatic and start doling out payback. This is not a joke. I'm a peaceful, loving person until you start hurting mine, and then I will lay the smack down without the slightest bit of hesitation. I just thought it might be better to get it out in verbal form, at least for the time being. Because really, I look like shit in orange.