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.

Line up, oh ye sheep.

Say ‘baaa’, because we’re all letting ourselves get fleeced.  We, the people of every major country of all the World, are a slave to the very people we put on top.  We don’t like it…but what have we done to stop it?

Say hello to a police officer…how courtious are those who ’serve and protect’ us?  How well do they do that?  Did you know they’re taught to lie to us?  They even admit it in court…those that are really ‘cops’, and not just some kind of dictator’s enforcers.  Then again, what cops aren’t, anymore?  Think on it.

When was the last time you were satisfied with the service you’ve  had on anything but a sandwich?  How quickly do the out-sourced ‘customer service’ people fix your problems.  How many idiot questions do they make you run through, before you can convince them you know what you’re talking about?

When was the last time you payed close attention to the messages those commercials are sending?  If you’re a woman, when was the last time you actually felt good about yourself after watching television?  If you’re a man, when was the last time you didn’t feel like blowing something up, or like you should be acting like an ass/are expected to be an ass?

Seriously, think on it.

Older Recap

Here – as I have about abandoned that blog – is what everyone has missed.  I made a blog on Blogger, a while ago.  While convenient to start, Blogger’s very hard to use if you want people to see anything you write…so I abandoned it like an old hat.

Here are the previous, to get us up to date:

The world as it’s becoming….
Tell me something…and yes, you owe it to me if you’re reading this, if only in your head…how often did you lie as a child? How many times did you say something so obviously untrue, just to try to save your skin from peril that was basically harmless…tell yourself the answer. Now ask yourself, what might have happened if you never told those lies. You’re completely anonymous if you like, so there’s no punishment to fear. Be honest….

Now, what happened if you never lied now, as a(n) adolescent/adult? Don’t throw more lies on the pile – it’ll fall someday how it already is – no excuses or crap about not lying. “White lies” are still lies, they count. Stretching the truth counts.

So, how many of us are already in jail, or alone? Funny isn’t it, how doing one of the noblest things you can does that anymore, isn’t it? Well, I think it’s funny at least….

It gets you thinking about what the world has become, doesn’t it? What have we done, when people suffer for doing the right thing and are rewarded for cheating others. Lying is cheating. Lying is stealing. Lying is spitting in someone’s face.

So I’m opinionated…then stop reading.

Seriously, here’s your chance….

…right here…

….now’s as good a time as any….

…still with me? Then that means that you know I’m right. I’m not always – I’m actually wrong a lot, even if I joke to the opposite – but I’m correct now. Now is what matters, because now is when I’m putting my neck out there.

So come to me, all you experiments…take your pills, change into those hospital gowns and lay down. It only happens when you sign the release anyway.

Now I was told not to introduce myself on my post – especially my first – because no one does that. It’s not appropriate, or something like that. Well, you’re going to at least know my intentions, damn the rules. I plan to say whatever the hell I like, and keep it as truthful as I always do – and always make sure to do, as well as I know the truth of a subject. I want to let everyone know what I think of the pathetic state of human nature, and maybe – just maybe – get some other people to think about it as much, or at least as deeply, as I do.

And if you’re reading this because you’re looking into me, or you want to see what kind of writer I may turn out to be…welcome to my world. When we read, we willingly enter a world the author fabricates as they see fit. You’re in my word-sea, and thus you’re in my world now. Will you sink through quickly, to save yourself…or will you swim, if only to see how strange an honest world can get?

…you’re on your own with your thoughts until I get back. Keep swimming if you want to stay.

More from me
Alright, time for another subject.

Truth comes first, so what next? How about sex? That’s full of lies these days.

How many times do you fake it? How often do you pretend you’re into something you’re not, just to get some? How many times have you lied through your teeth, just to get into their pants?

How many of you have a headache tonight?

It’s ridiculous what’s become of sexuality in America – a country that has laughingly been considered one of the most open about it…one of the countries with the most information.

Actually, there’s almost no information. I loathe people who think it should stay that way.

What are we taught? We’re taught it’s evil, or wrong, or so dangerous, or only for those in love…we’re taught men always want it, and women don’t. Actually, we’re taught that women should never want it, and men are pigs for wanting it all the time – which they so obviously do….

Who’re the pigs again?

You know me by T.S. Doesn’t tell you much, does it? I like it that way. It suits me fine – you don’t know if I’m female or male, even if you think you might. You know nothing about me…so you have to take me by my word, not by your prejudices. I’m words without a face, name or gender – I have no nationality, no race, no age, no gender. That’s why I can have a hope of making a point.

My point today? “Sex isn’t so sexy.” That’s a quote from an animation lampooning something online. If you got it, kudos.

Not only is sex not so sexy, it’s not so romantic, not so evil and should never be so mysterious. It also doesn’t need to be so serious – though you should be VERY serious to make sure it’s safe. Taking or giving, it’s just the diseases that are dangerous, not the sex. Sex is also not just for love, or procreation. If that were the case, we couldn’t do it whenever we wanted. Human’s have no breeding season.

Next, you have the attitudes we’re taught, whether we get it or not; teaching idiocy needs to stop. I observe a lot, and I’ve noticed a lot of ideas I can hardly believe anyone accepts as okay.

Women have been taught to be victims, while being entitled. They’re always harassed and stared at – someone call the cops – and they can’t understand why men want sex so much. Where’s my face again? Seriously – you’re not entitled to anything unless you earn it. A guy asking you out is no reason to make a scene, or act all disgusted…and especially not to get disgusted. How would you like being the one who gets taught you have to “man up” and go ask the guy out? How about if you got the drink poured on you for a change?

Women aren’t as interested in sex because they’re taught not to be. From the moment you’re a little girl, Dad’s keeping boys well away and Mom’s telling you that you need to be proper…something like that. The girls tell you you’d be a slut if you slept with a guy on the first, second…maybe even the tenth date. Your parents want you to wait until you’re married. You need a white dress and a white picket fence before you open the fleshy gates. Even then, why should you need sex? It’s nothing special…of course it couldn’t feel good. Well it does, but you can’t have it that often…doing it during your period is gross, if you do it too much he’ll think you’re easy/he might want it even more/what will he tell his friends? How is a girl supposed to have a sex drive when she’s told things like this from day one?

Men do want it all the time, but it’s not their fault…right? Well, it’s hard to think with a pair of blue balls, I’m sure. Who really knows, right? How’s a guy to think when she wears a skirt like that to the office? Alright, but what made her meat? When’d every girl become a bitch who’s just begging for your cock? How many hotties are going to be at the club tonight? Cause I need to get laid real bad….

Men are taught that girls are pretty from the start. Aww, isn’t it sweet how he’s got a crush on her – they’re so cute at recess, with him trying to get up the nerve to talk to her. Oh yeah, son, I had more than my share of girls when I was in school. What’s wrong with him, isn’t he still a virgin? Then a boy finds a girl, and they’re hot and heavy at first – she’s getting his interest, and things are intense at first – but then comes the “am I just a piece of meat to you?”’s and the “don’t you want me for more than my body?”’s. Why does a relationship always have to be about sex with you? What’s so great about sex anyways? Why are you thirsty? It’s just a desert…. Lets go find some slut, because I need it so bad my eyes are turning white….

The you have cheating and rape. Guess what? Cheating happens about the same amount between men and women, and women get raped more because men are hard up, and women are taught they should just call for help, not help themselves. Sounds cruel, I know…but it’s the truth. No one’s innocent anymore. Men are becoming real monsters, women are becoming too frail to stand up straight, and everyone hates everyone else’s guts. Maybe I’ll make her like it, that frigid bitch. Of course he raped her, she said he did.

How often have you lied about sex?

Maybe if I got someone’s attention, I’ll start of fetishes and kinks next. Then we’ll be on to religion and politics. Nothing’s safe from the truth.

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And for anyone already guessing at my username, this one’s a freebie:

“Active evil is better than passive good.”  – William Blake

The truth as best I know it to be.

The world is currently drowning in its own problems. This I see and accept – hoping to change it, I do not speak as a pessimist. We all have problems. They hit hard – harder than anything we do not intimately know can ever – but they are usually as easily changed as they are potent. We need to see, and work on, the problems that take time. The problems we choose not to see, cannot see, or are the most difficult to erase. We cannot see the forest for the trees, to be brutally honest – and woefully cliche. How can we see just how bad we can be as a ‘race’, gender or society when we are a part of it? We can only really imagine. How can we face the blatant problems, failings and even atrocities of our religions, when they keep us mentally and emotionally above water, by virtue of giving us something to have faith in? Why do we even have to fight for things that should be common sense?

I tell you this now…I will speak to you all honestly, and bluntly. I do not know, or do not care for (interchangeably), any other way. Some of you may not like me. Others of you will hate my spiteful guts. But yet still – perhaps optimistically – some of you may like me. I don’t really care if you like me, at least not here. I just hope you like what I have to say…or that you at least think about it/understand the merits of it.

This is all you will get from me, as I am told introducing oneself on a blog is taboo. I would hate to be unfashionable…

…and if you believe that, you haven’t been paying attention.