Belief

Any belief you cannot argue – that is, that you cannot reason out an objective merit for the belief of, and a way to substantiate – is not significant to anyone but you. Any belief that does not aid others is selfish. Any belief that would vilify or victimize others is not worth having – and holding onto it is a sign of either an unwillingness to change, or an insufficiency in one’s character.

If you believe yourself superior to another by nature, or by your beliefs, you are not even their equal – you have made yourself their inferior. Humanity only has advantages and disadvantages, not superiority and inferiority. Additionally, humans are not superior to other animals, only different. Humanity has the advantage of the highest intelligence, but lacks many other natural advantages. To illustrate this, put an average human (naked) and an average crocodile (hungry, and also naked) into a room with no resources.

The human belief in superiority serves no purpose, even to further nourish a hungry crocodile.

From Ports Unknown

I speak of that which comes from places we have not considered, or could never have imagined could be the source.  I speak of the unexpected, whether it be for bane or boon.

Recently, I experienced such a phenomenon.  Let it be known, ladies, gentlemen, and those who those words fail to properly account for…sometimes the idea of a ‘near-death experience’ can apply to more than your life, and can benefit the same.  To be specific, I found my relationship with a friend severely strained – be it known, both parties were at fault – and I was nearly to where I felt the need to cut that friend out of my life.  As much as it would have hurt, as much as it would have detracted from my life, I was almost there.  It had gotten to where I felt I could take no more of the fighting, and the joy of having that friend was no longer able to combat the pain – much in the same way a person with Celiac disease may love gluten, but has no choice but to remove it from their diet.  Luckily, we have salvaged our friendship.  Better even, there is good reason to believe we will be closer and stronger for it…especially as, in getting so close to the edge, some of my pain and bitterness fell off.  I came so close, and found the calm, almost numb resolve, to dissolving the relationship that I had already begun to leave some of the dead skin behind.

In light of this, I try not to change my philosophy…but I find compelling reason to propose a new one.  A philosophy that can only be proposed by Evil, with the benefit of the good in mind.  Perhaps even anger, and hatred, can be positive…under the right circumstances.  Much like surgically removing a malignancy, the destructive power can be used to remove what is poisoning your life and/or your heart.

The only problem with this philosophy: it’s as dangerous as it is powerful in its potential.  You need to know the darkness intimately, in order to hone it as a weapon.  You need a strong grasp on what is nearly intangible, and will fight your control, lest it drag you down to its lair.  This is why I, even one who proclaims to be Evil for the fortune of good, try not to adopt this seductive philosophy…I know the darkness, but I worry over the consequence of testing how deep I can go.

Know this: the darkness is mystery, and yields things we cannot foresee.  They may be worth the fear many apply, or they may be answers to problems we could not have imagined.  Those of you out there with pure hearts…know of this discovery, but no not use it.  If you cannot see in the dark, you will not know where to cut, and where not to.  You may slit your own wrist trying….

Power

May it corrupt or give salvation, the ability to change people’s lives is undeniable. Power of body, social power, or power of the mind…

…as I quoted from this blog’s inception, “active evil is better than passive good.” I’ve been busy being active, against people who doubtless may have reason to consider me evil. Thanks. They are opposition, and I have no need for remorse in the face of their potential misfortune. I’ve been watching them pick the plot for years, and I’m happy to help them toward digging their own grave.

Let me be a lesson, folks…visit evil upon evil, and watch as you’re hated by some, but the world becomes that much better a place to live. You may even find yourself being heartily cheered on by a middle-aged stranger….

Life is balance. While the good do nothing, the evil are busy at work, picking up their slack. Hallelujah.

Concerning the new header image…

I changed, as doubtless you’ve all noticed, the theme of the appearance here. Doing so lost me the subtle, classy image I had for the header, so I needed a new one. This one is from a picture by alexiuss on Deviant Art, entitled Enter the Inferno. I wanted to make sure to give the artist credit, and have not found any other way – in my amateur familiarity with WordPress. If you want to let alexiuss know I’m using it, by all means. If the artist would like me to take it down, I will not hesitate. I have great respect for artists, and for the work making such a haunting and beautiful – in its grim way – image requires.

As they say, ‘it’s better(/easier) to ask forgiveness than permission.’

Don’t Worry, it’s Only Skin Deep…

Except, the worst of it never is. Pain is the subject for today. Something I have come to know better than I am willing to admit, if I’m entirely honest about it….

No, I have not been in a terrorist prison, being tortured by extremists or some-such. I have not known the bite of hooks, the sting of electrocution…but I have known, and have witnessed, the ultimate kind of suffering. I refer to mental and emotional suffering.

Cuts mend. Bruises fade, and are forgotten. Even scars can diminish, until one day you cannot even prove you went through this or that — or have anyone else be able to prove you slipped while peeling vegetables. Emotional pain lingers. Mental anguish can fester like no infection, and can breed anything from despair to the utter destruction of a person’s mind. A scraped knee is superficial, but a raked mind can permanently change you — in ways even a missing limb cannot.

Those of you who fear pain, who imagine what the most painful demise might be (perhaps in morbid curiosity)…that would be a death caused by the flaying of your mind, or will to be.

For those of you looking to do the most harm, nothing can compare to assaulting a person’s mental/emotional stability.

A Perversion of Bliss

If you are familiar with the English-language expression, than by now you may know — I refer to ignorance.

I openly challenge the idea, ridiculously proposed, that it is bliss. It may prevent you from feeling the immediate suffering of the reception of the knowledge you are ignorant to…but it cannot even protect you from all suffering surrounding the idea. If you’re ignorant of a lover being unfaithful, will you fail to contract the STD they might? If your boss is making poor investments, are you better off being ignorant to the loss of your pension fund? If someone hears only one side of the story, are the better off without the whole truth?

Not only can ignorance harm you directly, but also indirectly. Prejudice is a form of ignorance — and it has shown many a time to be both damaging, and potentially lethal. Less seriously, feelings can be deeply — sometimes irreparably — hurt, when others allow ignorance they could have prevented. Jumping to conclusions is the easiest, most common, and easiest to avoid of all types of ignorance.

I challenge you then, the reader, to try to defeat my claim. Share your approval, if you like. I do enjoy — as all people — to be agreed with. However, my motivation has never been praise…. Go ahead, those you question my standpoint, attempt to refute me.

Ironically, you will have refuted yourself, in trying. For questioning me — or anything — is showing the value of inquisitiveness, over ignorance.

Sometimes, it’s Not Flattery

It’s hypocrisy. That’s the topic for today, children (something we all are). It’s something I have thought about considerably, for some time now. Both due to trying to avoid it, and from having been exposed to it.

It can be so very simple, to claim not to be hypocritical — or to tell others not to be. But how often — and be honest to yourself — have you told someone to be strong, when you’re not? When is the last time you may have asked someone to cheer up, when you were down? Have you ever told someone beauty comes from the inside, while you’ve wrestled with the pain of feeling (physically) ugly, or undesirable?

Hypocrisy is something we all contend with. We’re all only human, yes? However, it’s not something we should allow ourselves to overlook. Certain amounts will, inevitably, escape our notice. Certain amounts are noticeable, at least able to be admitted, and possibly avoidable….

Do me the favor, if you would be so kind…think about any times you may have, or possibly could have, perpetrated hypocrisy. Admission could help — and I do listen…but then, so does the rest of the internet. I don’t expect anyone (of the likely few) of my readers to admit anything to me, unless you feel I have been the victim of such an offense. I do hope that you will admit it to those you may have wronged, however. We can always do with a more honest, modest, and understandable world.

I ask, modestly…as I am guilty, as any of you. I expect so much out of all of you, while I can be so unyielding. On the chance you know me, you know…if not, expect to find this out, more and more.

Forgotten is its Definition, and its Problem

By this, I am referring to consideration.  Society is rapidly forgetting what it means to think of others.  Perhaps its that there are so many of us, and we move so fast — but that changes nothing.  We still fail to consider the struggles and conveniences of fellow people, as a people.

How many times have you had to wait for someone standing in the middle of an isle at a store?  How many people have you seen litter?  Are you the kind that never holds the door for someone else, the kind that tries to hold it when someone else is already, or the kind that lectures about how chivalry and chauvinism are synonymous?

If we are determined to laugh at John Donne, who wrote that “No man is an island, unto himself,” then we will maroon ourselves.  Alone on the islands of us.

Just try — you don’t have to be perfect — to consider others, in every thing and every moment you can.  Think about how what you do could harm, inconvenience, stifle or emotionally injure the people who might meet the other end of your decisions.

Standardized Expectations

Now then, let’s broach on something a little different…school.  I have learned a decent amount — more than some, but far less than slightly fewer — about the way school is taught, and what expectations are made, in numerous countries.  Learning these things, I have seen the same startling pattern more and more teachers are coming to admit: our approach is failing rapidly.

Ask any two people, and you are liable to get very different answers as to how they perfer to learn — what facilitates the process for them.  Some are visual, some tactile, some prefer to read, others to do…and the absence of this can sometimes create a handicap to the potential of their learning.  Logically speaking, you might even be able to test them lower in I.Q., running the test through counter-intuitive procedures.  Have any professionals considered this?

Moreso, who ever decided standardized testing was wise?  How are we, in any stretch of logic, to expect such varied people to fall into the same mold, accurately?  If a child is slow to read, isn’t it simple common sense that they will score lower than they could, given too short a time limit?  Of course, it has been argued that accomodating them would give the other students too much time…but how does this defend the need for standardized tests, either?  If a system can never be sufficiently accurate for all parties involved (such as having a very small degree of difference, not necessarily a complete lack), how can we ever think it’s going to tell us anything useful?  This, of course, applies to all the numerous variations of learning, not just literary cognition speed.

These practices are unfair, inaccurate…and a complete waste of money, effort and undue stress upon children and young adults.  They tell us nothing of how well students learn in the schools, only how well we can fail to do their education justice.  Unfortunately, in many countries, the same can be said for the dictator-like control of lesson plans, etc….

Future Failings

Has it come to anyone else’s attention, these floundering attempts to help fix the problems we — the human race — have been heaping on the world?  Cleaner fuels, better fuel economy, cleaner power plants, re-usable bags and voluntary recycling.

Yes, I can see the progress already.  I see people ignore their reusable bags.  I see cars still spewing smoke, since the cleaner ones are too expensive — and they still pollute.  I see potential change being cast aside, because we are too addicted to our bad habits.  The Tesla — an electric car so functional that it performs as a sports car — is road-tested and freely-marketed right now.  Why are we still in a tizzy about flex-fuel, bio-diesel and hybrid cars?  Why are companies still pushing more and more gas-burning cars — many of which they brag about the ‘performance’ of, but not the fuel-efficiency — and not working to release more electric cars, and make the technology cheaper and more available?  Why do we think it’s acceptable to still be burning fossil fuels?

How many of you have recycling in your neighborhood?  Now then, how many of you can actually recycle all the recyclables: plastic, metal, glass and paper?  How available are means to recycle batteries, cell-phones, etc. where you live?  How many things can you buy, which are packaged in recycled (always partially, not entirely) materials?

How many of you knew the technology to do all of this has been around for decades?  I won’t waste my time posting resources — you’re better informed looking for yourself, than relying on my bias.