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Who the ******** cares! A prelude to Schopenhauer. |
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Got your attention didn't I! I hope, at least. To be honest, I've never been one to fancy the use of so called "vulgar" language, mostly since I never saw any use for it. Because of that, its gained a particularly special nature with me. In a lame man's terms, if I use it, it better be important. And sure, this seems like such a time.
So I'm wasting time in between picking up my next set of candies, and I need some time to kill. Gotta make it good, too. Maybe something that can actually relate to everyday life, for once. Ahh! Social status.
Now when I say that, I don't mean anything in particular. Though if I did, it would probably be the image society has of "YOU," the reader, and your subsequent standing in its ranking of popularity/nerdiness. So let's start from there.
To throw in an anecdote, while sitting in my spirituality class today and waiting for death to finally come and nab me from that hell hole, I heard a peculiarly unusual prayer read by our sub. The teacher's been out for about the past month for surgery, along with another month more (booyah!). I'll try to sum it up here.
"Dear God, sometimes the worry of what other people think of me becomes too overwhelming. I can't stand thinking of the other kids laughing at me or me sitting alone at lunch. I'm afraid that I'm not popular enough. Please give me strength because I'm a total freaking loser with no self esteem."
I added that last part in for effect. Didn't see it coming, right?
Ehem, well, anyway, getting back to it. I, personally, thought that prayer was one of the biggest loads of, err, bull feces, that I've heard in that class, and oh man have I heard it all. Here's where it gets almost kind of intellectual though.
Been reading up on Schopenhauer, as my quaint title alludes to. Actually, I've only scratched the surface of what is his about 700 page compilation of essays, but I'm working on it. Anyway, he sees three things that determine a person's happiness: one's view of oneself and what one possess inside, then the things one possesses outside, then one's standing with other people. Of the three, he believes the first to be the most important, that your happiness best depends on how you view your own self along with your health and such. The other two pale in comparison to this first one.
The idea I'm getting to from here is this: if you want to be happy, then be happy. You're the only one who can make yourself be happy or not. The opinions and views of others exist only indirectly when pertaining to your particular consciousness, meaning they exist separate from you and therefore have no actual bearing upon you. That is, unless you allow them to. Then you are only changing your own view because of those of others. The only actual opinion of you that matters is your own, considering its the only one that will directly affect your happiness. On top of that, you have control over such an opinion, at least if you are a healthy, normal person.
Now lets get a bit more realistic again. All right, so the opinions of you of other's don't mean crap in comparison to your own. Now what? Well, this idea certainly doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to what anyone else thinks about you. It simply means that your happiness should not depend on them. There is one factor, though, I should bring up here. Your own friends, that is, if you have any, whoever you are out there in internet land.
I'm not sure how many of us have the confidence required to deflect any barrage of criticism alone. Support always helps. That's why the reassurance that friends create, that no matter how many people laugh at you elsewhere, your real friends will still stick by you, is so necessary. I personally love doing crazy crap that other people may find weird and unwarranted but that my friends think is funny. As long as they're still there for me, I couldn't care less about anyone else.
There you have it, folks. Get friends. Get indifferent. Get happy. It's as simple as that.
Rowan Raeneus · Wed Nov 02, 2005 @ 10:15pm · 0 Comments |
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