“Trust me, Wilbur. People are very gullible. They’ll believe anything they see in print.”
― E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web“A rat race is for rats. We’re not rats. We’re human beings. Reject the insidious pressures in society that would blunt your critical faculties to all that is happening around you, that would caution silence in the face of injustice lest you jeopardize your chances of promotion and self-advancement.” Jimmy Reid
“I’m equally guilty of using technology – I Twitter, I text people, I chat. But I think there’s something strangely insidious about it that it makes us think we’re closer when in fact we’re not seeing each other, we’re not connecting.” Jason Reitman
It is eery, how often we are inadvertently, at the mercy of other people. It is not like we want other people controlling what we do. It just seems to happen, especially when we are not prepared for the choice nor the consequences. The truth is all of us want to be kind and helpful to others. We want to do the right thing. Problems always arise when the ‘right’ thing interferes with our attachment to other people.
Nobody enjoys making a scene. If we are confronted with undesirable language, or actions, most of us, myself included, refrain from calling attention to it. This is especially true when it is a relative or friend. The fact that we disapprove, is hidden behind our fear of not fitting in with the group we are with at that moment. This is not cowardly. I know there many times I think about what I should do, but my window of time to respond, is lost, and I am left without any recourse.
Those times when we are able to muster a response, it sometimes appears lame and disheartened. Perhaps others were not even listening due to the quiet voice we used. I think at moments like this we spend a lot of time reflecting on how good or bad something is. We attempt to measure the words or actions against some assessment tool approved by society. Of course our own filters are sparking, but we can’t decide if it calls for any interference. The response window is lost of course.
Why is it so difficult for us to state our own mind, and trust that it is okay, and within our rights. We appear to assume that others are more worthy to set the rules. The social, emotional and spiritual guides are probably always at the mercy of outspoken people who have the power to set the rules. When we are in the company of people who have similar beliefs and attitudes, it becomes easier to state opinions and facts. The same is not true for those with wildly altered ideas.
I think when one has a more fragile outlook on life, it is harder to go against the crowd. The person does not want to make a scene, nor do they want to enter into a fighting match. Those who speak louder, stronger, and longer usually win the debate. People who are less apt to hurt the feelings of others tend to back off quicker, from destroying an individual’s thought processes.
I hate the fact that society pushes us towards engaging in worldly entertainment, yet has no regard for invigorating the spiritual lives. Most of us do not choose to ignore our values or morals. When we are confronted with challenges and fear stepping on the toes of others, we stop pushing for changes. We are faced with the rhetoric of “everybody has the right to do what they want.” While most of us try to be fair, we run the risk of getting misguided in the interim.
I recall so many times, being faced with a moral dilemma which covered the gamete of importance. There were times I spoke up yet other times I remained silent. It made no difference if it pertained to me or somebody else. Those moments were never clearly sustainable, regarding my entering a response. It is debatable, how good or bad they were. I believe they fell in that gray area and the result for me was confusion and sadness at offering no reply.
There were times, like when a woman was spanking her child in a store, that I wanted to speak up. I hesitated because she was the parent, and it wasn’t my business, and her smacking wasn’t hard or rough. I had such mixed feelings and ended up losing my chance. I remember many times, being the recipient of vulgar language from people who almost enjoyed making others uncomfortable. As much as others wanted to stop it, nobody quite knew how to go about it in a discreet manner.
It amazed me how some people had the ability to subdue and conquer the larger group. The more I thought about it, the scarier it appeared. We all fall victims to other people. Perhaps we need to build up our own confidence and review an array of replies, suitable for such a situation. I suppose we will find numerous other events, that render us silent and without moves.
I have heard it said that evil doesn’t win of its own accord. Those of us who endeavor to do the correct thing, yet continue to remain silent even when we see injustice, have aided and supported evil through our inaction. All evil requires, is for good people to stand by and do nothing. I have thought about this and as I have stated, I remember overlooking various wrongs due to my insecurity, and my fearfulness to respond. I perhaps might have had the opportunity to block some of the wrong, if I had overcome the shy attitude. Likely I could have tossed out some boldness of my own.
I realize we don’t change a world overnight. I also have the notion that if everyone attempts to watch for the deceptive, treacherous and sinister behaviors we encounter, perhaps we can overcome with time. We don’t have to accept everything that others place in front of us. We have the ability to say no. It isn’t creating a scene. It is demonstrating power and authority over our own desires and ability to choose. The next time you don’t like a movie, play, or somebody’s language or opinions, simply walk away. If injustices are rampant, choose to offer your ideas and thoughts always taking others into consideration. You haven’t insulted anyone, but you have voiced your own thoughts. You never know if in the process, you have given courage to another person, to do the same thing.
“A Native American elder once described his own inner struggles in this manner: Inside of me there are two dogs. One of the dogs is mean and evil. The other dog is good. The mean dog fights the good dog all the time. When asked which dog wins, he reflected for a moment and replied, The one I feed the most.” George Bernard Shaw
“And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo – that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power to make of us not simply victims, as nature and accident do, but active accomplices.” Joyce Carol Oates
“Being against evil doesn’t make you good. Tonight I was against it and then I was evil myself. I could feel it coming just like a tide. I just want to destroy them. But when you start taking pleasure in it you are awfully close to the thing you’re fighting.” Ernest Hemingway
