on growing up
Apr. 25th, 2003 03:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
joflasherEveryones seen it. The young child who should know better but is still doing it cause it gets results. Standing at the checkout lane screaming his head off for that candybar while his mortified parents try to shush him. That kid? Not a responsible adult. Not even a responsible child. To him, the world revolves around making him happy. He wants the candy, he should get the candy and he's going to bellow out his outrage to the world if he doesn't get it. How dare the world not get in line and give itself to him.
hmmmm...
Eventaully, someone will break it to him that the world doesn't owe him shit. If he wants something, he's gotta put in the effort to get it. Get a job or get some petty thief skills. If his parent's are lucky, that message will sink in before he's 30 years old and still living in their basement and having his mom do his laundry.
Sure, you can get by without ever having to lift a finger. You can live off the system for your entire lifetime. You can even stand there and scream your outrage to the entire world because the system doesn't give you everything you want. But don't complain to about these things to me. I choose a different path. I have no sympathy for you and I might very well clock you upside the head. You're a fucking adult, deal with it. Does that make me a Bad Person?
Sure, I could be on a street corner preaching peace instead of making baby killing war machines. I could sell all my earthly possessions and donate the money to a Good Cause. Would any of that make me more responsible? Not hardly, since it would break many of my prior committments and promises. If not responsible, would it at least make me a Good Person?
Depends on your definition.
A Good Person doesn't not necessarily equal a responsible adult. Nor are they necessarily distinct. You can be both, you can be neither, a lot of people I know are only one or the other. You choose, just like everyone else.
And that screaming child/adult? Well, like my mom used to say, if you want to cry, I'll give you a reason to. Maybe she had something there.
hmmmm...
Eventaully, someone will break it to him that the world doesn't owe him shit. If he wants something, he's gotta put in the effort to get it. Get a job or get some petty thief skills. If his parent's are lucky, that message will sink in before he's 30 years old and still living in their basement and having his mom do his laundry.
Sure, you can get by without ever having to lift a finger. You can live off the system for your entire lifetime. You can even stand there and scream your outrage to the entire world because the system doesn't give you everything you want. But don't complain to about these things to me. I choose a different path. I have no sympathy for you and I might very well clock you upside the head. You're a fucking adult, deal with it. Does that make me a Bad Person?
Sure, I could be on a street corner preaching peace instead of making baby killing war machines. I could sell all my earthly possessions and donate the money to a Good Cause. Would any of that make me more responsible? Not hardly, since it would break many of my prior committments and promises. If not responsible, would it at least make me a Good Person?
Depends on your definition.
A Good Person doesn't not necessarily equal a responsible adult. Nor are they necessarily distinct. You can be both, you can be neither, a lot of people I know are only one or the other. You choose, just like everyone else.
And that screaming child/adult? Well, like my mom used to say, if you want to cry, I'll give you a reason to. Maybe she had something there.
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musings
Date: 2003-04-25 05:05 pm (UTC)it seems to me that if humanity really wants a chance to get out of its whining, i want candy, self-centered phase, that a great many people's perception of the world is going to have to change. it will likely be a painful change, and humanity may not survive the transition. regardless, i am fairly sure that i will not live to the fture even my limited vision can see, so all i am required to do is take one small step. it is both depressing and liberating to know that my life is just a millimeter forward or backward on the great marathon, and it is certainly comforting that my only goal need be making my millimeter be forward.