wayne on July 11, 2008
I admire a man (or woman) who could stand up and speak his mind. Even greater in my opinion are those that can speak their minds, and not allow the opposition to get to them. Even when the other side uses tactics that are questionable, socially unacceptable and perhaps financially motivated. Here's a little rant that I feel I need to get off my chest.
Putting your Best Foot Forward?
When the camera's are rolling, and the spotlight is shining on you, do you put your best foot forward? Of course you do, it's only natural right? You want to make the best impression you can because anything else is only detrimental to your image. It's human nature and it's natural.
We all know it all to well that when you watch TV, or listen to the radio, or even when you are reading a blog, the person on the other end is putting their best foot forward. What happens though when the spotlight is not on them? We sometimes don't know, and other times, we get a glimpse into what that persons character really is. It really is a shame when they don't live up to your expectations.
Recently, Jesse Jackson was caught making remarks about Barrack Obama that are quite hateful. The camera was rolling, and Mr. Jackson had no idea. He was being himself, and now we get to see a side of him, he'll probably regret.
Mind you, I'm not one to point fingers and say 'I told you so', but when I watch TV, listen to the radio, or read someone's blog, I do so with a grain of salt. Since I don't know the character of the author, why would I lend any credibility to them? It makes me skeptical, and I think that is a very, very healthy approach.
But do you act the same way when the spotlight isn't on you? Only you will know the answer to that. If others would find out that you are not who you really say you are, what then?
There is a lesson to be learned here, and I feel it's a very important one. In our day to day lives of hustle and bustle, we sometimes forget who we are, and perhaps even lose sight of why we are here, if we even know that in the first place.
Perhaps you don't have an idea of why we are here, most people don't, and I am one of those people. However, I decided long time ago that I would do my best to be a good human, regardless of the 'why'.
What does being a good human mean to me? It means that I'll open doors for the ladies, I'll chew with my mouth closed and I'll help clean up after dinner.
Ok, so I'm not perfect, I don't always help clean up after dinner, and I sometimes have my mouth open when I eat to the disgust of my girlfriend.
It goes deeper than that though. In a nutshell, it means I try to do no harm while I am here on this planet. Simple? Not at all. It's an incredibly hard thing to do consistently. There are always those out there that will try to knock you down, steal your thunder, throw you under the bus, be hurtful, inhumane, inconsiderate, uncaring, and the list goes on and on. I think you get my drift. We all slip from time to time, and we need to remember that. Because there are those that have slipped out there, honestly slipped, and we should be able to rise above our judgmental opinions, and still, try to do good in the face of adversity.
Being a good human
Being human isn't easy. Sometimes it can seem like being a nice human takes monk-like conditioning in the face of all we experience from day to day. So what is one to do to try to be a good human?
Slow down. Calm your mind and try to think rationally. Pray to your god if that helps. Light up a cigarette if that eases your nerves. Smoke that bowl if you feel it will help you. Do anything you need to do, but ultimately, don't cause harm to other people. If you see or happen to witness a bad act from someone else, call it out! Don't just ride on by and let it happen. It takes a solid pair of "cahones" sometimes, but the more you do it, the better you will feel about yourself. Not only that, but you have also helped to improve the world a little. In addition to that, other people will notice it. Not every time you do this, but they WILL notice it.
And you know what? It will catch on.
Niceness and treating people, ALL PEOPLE with respect can be infectious if you allow it. It's the same as the pay it forward movement first described by Benjamin Franklin. Do good unto the world more than it has done good to you. If you are into Jesus, this could be your trial of faith if you choose to. Regardless of your faith in religion, it is really about being human, and being able to live among an exponentially growing populous of earth dwelling creatures.
Let's take a look at the war in Iraq for example. We know that killing is bad, and you should REALLY know this if you follow the bible! However, what I see are people that are presumably Christians, Baptists, Catholic, Mormon, Jew, and many others, presumably god fearing people, that are for killing other people by virtue of allowing the war to continue and not taking a stand against it! They know that wars mean the killing of other humans, so why would they accept it and allow it to continue? There are those that are taking a stand, but not nearly enough. We need each and every single person in this country. After that, we need our neighboring countries. After that, the rest of the world.
I have been baffled by the obvious hypocrisy in the church and in governments since I learned to think for myself. I quit going to church because of this obvious hypocrisy against what all the writings in every single religious text I have ever read! I quit believing in the government after I learned and saw how Vietnam vets were treated.
There is absolutely nothing any one of us can do to stop a war There is nothing we can do to stop the media from controlling our minds through the TV. Not as individuals. However, I am telling each and every reader of this simple little blog post, that if each one of us took a stand and said no more, together we could make it stop within months.
It is my dream that we take back the world from the corporations that are controlling the world and our minds. It is my dream that we take back our government and replace the current theme 'By the corporations, for the corporations' and return it to 'by the people for the people'. It is my dream that we live amongst each other in harmony and peace. It is my dream that each and every one of you that read this will agree, we need to do something. The time is now, make your stand. Right here, right now.
"You could say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us
and the world will live as one."
- John Lennon
Please world, don't let me down. Please let others know about this post. If in fact it actually strikes a chord and starts a rhythm, together we can change things for the better. It all starts with being a good human.
