I woke up this morning thinking about the difference between the charade that passes for civilized society and the real world, where people - the very people claiming to be good and attempting to make the rules for the rest of us - are merely orchestrating things to their benefit as they get away with murder.
It was George Orwell who said, "In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act," and "a time of universal deceit" is exactly where we are now. The truth merely slips out, with most working to keep it hidden for as long as possible, hoping to pull the wool over our eyes.
I spent a lot of time, yesterday, pondering Phillip K. Dick's statement that reality is what's left after you stop believing in it, and coming to terms with the fact that poor, doomed, Anne Frank was wrong - that despite everything, people AREN'T really really good at heart - because, while "Facts change, people don’t" and so evil is what I'm left with, when I stop fooling myself about those around me:
The innate goodness of people being the only thing I ever dared even trying to "believe" in.
No, in order to stay oriented, I've got to give up my dreams of "a better life," and join them in the gutter - at least mentally, and, at least, for now - keeping quiet as they rejoice over each golden nugget, that's really a kernel of corn from last night's dinner.
Ahh, Adolf Hitler would've loved the game of it. What's the old saying? "America eats it's young"?
Hey - that explains the switch to organics!
Ok...you actually believed that people were good at heart? Really?
ReplyDeleteThere is no such thing on this planet; I've met a couple who came close to being really good people, but even they would admit that it wasn't 100% achievable (which is probably one of the things that made them good).
As my dear old dad said: the only thing you can do is try, try in spite of yourself and others to sometimes be a decent SOB. The only alternative is to 1) put a bullet in your skull, which is just admitting defeat and also leaving the world to the people who won't try and like being evil SOBs; 2) becoming an evil SOB that likes it.
So left with those two options the brave thing to do is to hang on and try. Do it for yourself, but do it for little babies and elephants and oak trees and sunsets and all those things that don't have the knowledge of what truly lousy sacks of shit we really are and what we all become, and know that. Do it for the people who actually manage to come close to being good.
That's what my old dad said -- right when he told me he knew he was going to Hell for the things he did, and that I'd probably wind up there too (and it was not an accusation or to scare me -- it just was a statement of fact, a resigned statement of fact). He was right, I agree -- and I know where I'm going after this (I WISH I could be an atheist, would sure make my eventual mortality a bit easier to countenance...but like Dad, I'm pretty sure there's no way to so lucky).
So...with all that acknowledged...the only thing a person can do is try (and realize that the operative words are "try" and "good" -- not "be" and "nice").
And play the hand you're dealt -- aren't going to get a re-deal after all, so might as well.
PW
I was a kid once - and a foster child:
ReplyDeleteI knew about hope long before Obama came along,...
Yeah...and folks like you and Anne Frank, and my husband's "foster" mom (he had a rough home life; she and her husband always provided a home away from home) are the reasons why evil, cold hearted people like me and my dad still try to be good (instead of the murderous old bastards we really are on the inside).
ReplyDeleteAlong with little kids, hummingbirds, and pretty daisies in the field.
If those things can have even a longshot chance...well, then Hell isn't such a bad trade (unless of course you are correct...and then I get the peace of the grave at the end of all this...nah, not that lucky).
PW
By the way: my real name is Jennifer...I've never used it online, but you're all right, and I might as well use (part) of my real name for once...I'm afraid things are about to start getting real shitty...time to quit hiding behind a fake call sign
Oh, and here's a sign (that it's going to get shitty...if they start going all Manson girls and x-ing themselves, then holy shit will have truly hit the fan)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mckaycoppins/mormons-plan-to-fast-for-romney
They've already completely discredited the GOP (which maybe deserves it for being stupid, but that leaves the stupid Dems unopposed in their stupidity, unless somebody can come up with a new, major political party...that isn't stupid):
http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,652338