Oct 02, 2008 10:40
I hate it when people lie, so I don't lie.
I hate that people swear so much, so I swear less.
I hate that people are so reliant on driving, so I will not drive.
I hate that people are so reliant on cell phones, so I will not own one.
I hate that people spend so much time on the internet, so I'm phasing off it.
I hate that people desire passive entertainment, so I look for active entertainment.
I hate that people willingly poison themselves with cigarettes and drugs, so I do not do such things.
I hate that people are reliant on others to live, so I learn to garden.
I hate that the food we eat is full of corn oil, hormones, caffiene, and other garbage, so I look for a better way.*
I hate that people steal carelessly on the internet, so I do not do so.
I used to satirize the ugliness of people I saw around me, feigning ignorance, sexism, and other such things. I don't do that so much anymore, though it's such a part of my personality that it's hard to be rid of completely. (I wonder if I developed it as a way to avoid revealing my true self and push people away...) Do I really want to remind women that there are people who regard them as mere sex objects, even jokingly? I don't think so. I was writing a story with that as a theme and it made me sort of realize how uncomfortable it must be. (I still goof around with Cookie that way, but he's got the same strange sense of humor I do, and we keep it contained, so no harm done.)
Instead of being disastisfied with the world, look at what you want to improve and improve it within yourself. Perhaps you can inspire someone else to do the same. You can't force anyone else to be a better person, but you can make yourself one.
*Almost off the caffiene. Don't know why it was so hard this time. The first time, I just went cold turkey, had one bad day, and I was done...
myself,
philosophy