Misery

At what point is it acceptable to give up? Why does our society insist that people must keep trying when it is evident that no matter what some try their lives will still be bad? Life is NOT wonderful for many people, it's just the way it is and that sucks. Some people are simply unlucky and some people simply are NOT cut out for the "dog eat dog" world that we have created. It is unfortunate? Most definitely. It is sad? No doubt. Is it fair? No, life isn't fair. Is a change of attitude enough? NO., sorry but it's not.

Pretending everything is "ok" doesn't help FIX the situation. Neither does ignoring it or not talking about it or trying to change perspective. At some point no matter HOW you look at some situations, there is no "bright side". NOT everything HAS a bright side.

I've often heard people say "life is what you make it" or " that it isn't the situation but how one reacts to it" or my personal favorite "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"..and many other such pithy comments about how to deal with the trials and tribulations of life. Yet all the cute idioms in the world can't make a bad situation better. Some situations are simply just bad, pretending otherwise is devoid of reality.


What is the point? I mean, really, WHAT is the point of living a miserable existence? Change in attitude can only help to a certain extent. AT some point, some losses are simply too much to bare and are such that life is NOT worth living under the circumstances.

Poverty is NOT a choice. NO one chooses to live in poverty...contrary to popular mythology. Some don't possess the SKILLS and abilities to get out of it. We live in a Capitalist society. Thus without capital or access to capital it is VERY difficult and sometimes JUST impossible to climb out of poverty. Horatio Alger stories are rare and ARE stories, that ARE NOT indicative of actual reality for most.

NOT everyone has a MARKETABLE talent that is able to provide a means to make money and thus survive. Some people are NOT MARKETABLE. The market will only pay what the market DEEMS of value. Or put another way, people will BUY something they think they want for a price they think the item is worth. Thus unless a human being has the the certain skills or talents which society deems of value, that human being WILL NOT be able to sell themselves to ANYONE regardless of what they do.

NO one likes to admit these things. WE all like to pretend any obstacle CAN Be overcome, but that is simply NOT true. Man is limited in his abilities. MAN is NOT omnipotent or omniscient. Therefore, MAN is LIMITED by what is in his mind and within his talents. NOT everyone possesses the same abilities. DUH!. Yet we as a society insist that "everyone" can do "anything"...that is utter BULLSHIT!

No matter what I do, I will NEVER be able to do certain things....I cannot for example, look at body fluids without gagging and vomiting. Thus a career in medicine IS OUT OF THE QUESTION for ME. NO matter what I do, I will NEVER be able to make a career out of playing sports, as I am a KLUTZ, and most sports are MALE dominated, and I'm not a male. Not matter HOW a man tries, he will not be able to give birth naturally, of course, he doesn't possess the necessary equipment. Shouldn't this go without saying?

MY talents lie in my ability to think and reason. WOW...that sounds great doesn't it? I mean, doesn't it sound good to be intelligent and possess critical thinking skills? One would think...but the truth IS our society does NOT value intelligence. WE pretend we do, we act like we do, we pay lip service to the concept....but we really don't...how else does one explain Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin? None of these three people are Mensa candidates, YET all three are paid handsomely for their ability to manipulate. AND that my friends is the true "intelligence" our society pays for and values. WE don't value true intellect...we value those who can tell us a story that we like. NOT matter how much evidence there is to the contrary, we as a society believe the con artists, always have.

Thus people who have ethics and morals that are contrary to the mythology we have created, who ALSO see the world for WHAT it really IS and not what everyone PRETENDS it is, have a very difficult time surviving in our society. Throughout history, we have been told the stories of artists, writers, politicians, philosophers, etc, such as Van Gogh, Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Hemingway, Thoreau; who although THEIR works have been lauded for their genius, at the same time have been riddled with extreme mental issues, too. Did it ever occur to anyone that because of their extreme intelligence they UNDERSTOOD how truly FUCKED up the world was and they COULD see it CLEARLY? These people weren't mental, they were RIGHT...they simply SAW the WORLD in all it's ugliness and realized that LIFE is full of lies, manipulation and BULLSHIT.

Understanding the world and it's bullshit makes living in the world honestly VERY difficult if NOT impossible. Doesn't that stand to reason? Seriously, if one has ethics that say it is wrong to lie and cheat another, than a career in sales is PROBABLY going to cause some conflicts. SALES is NOT an honest profession...it's the epitome of manipulation. Our society ACCEPTS it as an "acceptable type of manipulation" but manipulation IS LYING....it's NOT honest.

Why do I even HAVE to spell this out???? I shouldn't have to tell people that SALES people don't CARE about THEM..they care about SELLING THEIR PRODUCT and making THEIR COMMISSION....PERIOD. THEY will say and DO whatever it takes to GET YOU TO GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY. When a sales person tells YOU you look lovely today, DON"T BELIEVE THEM...they say that to just about EVERYONE...the art of sales is to tell someone something plausibly true that the person WANTS to hear.

Marketing is another career rife with manipulation. Corporations spend literally Billions of dollars getting YOU to think their product is the best thing since sliced bread...they do it because IT WORKS...and MOST people FALL for it....again manipulation=lying.

There is another career an ethical, intelligent person CAN'T do. Politics....OBVIOUSLY. That one I shouldn't have to SPELL out! Debt collection? That one too seems to be OBVIOUS. Lawyer? Another OBVIOUS disconnect. Law is interesting and is great for an intelligent person to study...but for an honest, ethical intelligent person to practice....it has many complications.

Business as a whole is difficult for honest, ethical intelligent people because it is rife with manipulation, back stabbing, double dealing,etc. ONE has to be devoid of ANY REAL moral values to TRULY succeed in business.

So basically, someone who is intelligent, moral and ethical has only a few choices: Writing books, (journalism is OUT as it was taken over by business...no ethics there) writing blogs, volunteer work (but that DOES NOT pay the bills) artist, philosopher, stay at home parent, comedian. That's it. Those are the only real career choices available for a person with those skills and talents. WOW...not a lot of opportunities to REALLY make money, are there?

Even teaching is no longer immune to the effects of our immoral unethical society. Sad...as that one always seemed to be a good one, too. Or at least it should have been...but it too has been taken over by manipulation...that whole "no child left behind" thing seems to have destroyed the concept. WE now want indoctrination and memorization for our children...we don't encourage REAL thinking anymore. So sad.

Thus it seems morals and values have become passe. So it appears that in order to survive in this world, one has to give up on being a decent human being IF they wish to be able to keep a roof over their head, food on the table and maybe enjoy some of what life has to offer. THIS is acceptable...HOW??? or WHY??? Personally, I don't think it is acceptable...hence my desire to give up!

I want to live a good life. I want to be able to pay my bills, eat, enjoy some of life's pleasure and STILL remain loyal to my beliefs...what is wrong with that? WHY am I the bad "guy" for wanting to live an honest life? WHY must I suffer from my inability to fuck people over???