It bothers me that people have become so rotten in general. We over-eat horrible food, have all sorts of addictions that range from normal (none are healthy!) like caffeine to abnormal like eating laundry soap. Overindulgence, lack of self-control, and casting blame are so common that no one even bats an eye anymore.
You wanna eat a whole German chocolate cake every night for dinner, gain 300 pounds, blame the Germans for making such delicious cake, cry on TV and verbally abuse the people you love in front of the camera? Umm… Yeah, okay. We are pretty much fine with that.
You can’t control yourself and keep falling in your wife’s best gal-pal’s vajayjay? Okey dokey.
You are always that asshole who refuses to merge at the FIRST sign that tells you to do so? Unfortunately even YOU are still allowed to breathe our air.
Everyone expects to be treated “special” because of their WEAKNESSES? Even kids are growing up with very little drive because in an effort to make everyone “special” we have succeeded only in pushing out the really noteworthy things in life.
These are just the tip of the iceberg. Below is a list of things that meant something totally different when I was growing up, and under each is the modern translation.
Be kind because there is too much cruelty in this world already. Kindness is free and it should be expected, not applauded.
Just don’t be TOO kind. Everyone knows that if you are too nice to people for no good reason you either want attention or you are covering a guilty conscience! I mean, I know better, but the way you are all Miss Nicey with everyone? People are gonna start getting the wrong ideas about you, if ya know what I mean! You probably just don’t see it, but the way you say hi to people and you just smile at everyone kinda probably looks bad.
Be intelligent; ignorance isn’t bliss. Intelligence is beautiful and stimulating and appreciated!
Just make sure you’re smart enough to dumb yourself down because no one likes a smarty-pants, know-it-all egomaniac. Just because you use all them big words and know who that Mary Curry (i.e. Marie Curie) lady was or SAY you actually read our Constitution thingie and understood it don’t make you no better than we are!
Be brave because fear is crippling and can rob you of joy. Be brave even when it would be easier to flee in fear.
Just don’t let anyone SEE your bravery; they don’t want to deal with the sad bravado you try to use to cover up how scared you are of almost everything. We know the truth, though, so it’s okay. You don’t have to keep pretending. You poor dear.
Be yourself because it is your uniqueness that is so beautiful and everyone else is already taken anyway. (Unless, of course, you can be Batman. Always be Batman! Haha!)
Just be sure you aren’t TOO different or you make everyone else uncomfortable, and besides, you’re just being weird because you want attention. You are just so selfish sometimes! Don’t you see how embarrassing it is for people who love you?
Happiness is a choice. If you choose to make the best of things and stay positive you will find it has a direct impact on your life. While we all have our dark moments it is important to remember negativity can be like a poison that will kill everything good that tries to grow.
Just make sure you don’t forget to chime in when everyone is bitching; being closed off and pretending your life is perfect is just stupid, and it’s insulting, too! I swear you do it on purpose, trying to make everyone look so whiny with your Suzy Sunshine act. We all know you don’t have such a perfect life anyway, so you ain’t fooling us. You’re no better than me just because you are always saying things are good and that you’re happy. I mean, if anyone ever had a right to complain it’d be you. Bless your heart.
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Find your passion and pursue it with reckless abandon; relish it with childlike glee. Not everyone finds that ONE thing in life that makes them so happy they can’t contain it. Even better if you happen to find two or three!
Just make sure you don’t talk about it anymore around anyone. I mean, dang! Don’t l you know by now it ain’t all about you alllllll the time? Yeah, yeah, we KNOW you just LOOOOVE it; you already told us how happy it makes you. Frankly, I know people are sick to death of hearing you talk about it so much. (What exactly WAS it again? I can’t seem to recall.)
Work tirelessly to achieve what you start and don’t be mediocre about anything. Excellence is the only thing you should ever strive for, even when you have to gracefully accept that you can’t excel at everything. At least you know you have given it 100%, and whether you happen to be terribly good at something or dazzlingly horrible, you can always be proud of yourself.
Just don’t go bragging about what you did, okay? We know you did it, so there is no reason to go rubbing it in. I mean, I know you wouldn’t do that since you know it’s not like it makes you better than us or anything, right? Enthusiasm is for cheerleaders, and anyway, didn’t your mama teach you that you should be humble? And you’re making some of us angry, and I know you don’t want that!
Be forgiving. Everyone is human and we all make mistakes. It’s okay to let go of things (as long as you’re forgiving a mistake and not enabling a behavior).
Just make sure you don’t tell anyone that you are working on your saint act. For the love of Pete, you know you give people an inch and they take a mile! You’re too naive for your own good sometimes; we all worry about what a pushover you are. You just let people walk all over you and it’s not very smart. The sooner you get it through your thick head that people only care about themselves the better off you’ll be.
Be generous of heart if nothing else; you don’t know what has brought any one person to where they are now. Whether it’s a sandwich or a smile, your generosity can make the difference between a bad day and a good one just as it could save a life.
Just don’t go being a dang goody-two-shoes. People make their own beds and they have to learn to fix their own problems. You keep givin that bum your quarters and he won’t ever get a job; besides, he probably just buys booze! And that reminds me! You didn’t even let any of us look through those clothes that you just GAVE AWAY to that thrift place…Goodwill or whatever. You know you can’t buy people, right?
Be honest and have integrity, even if it means admitting your mistakes. If what you’re doing has the potential to devastate someone who loves you, maybe you should rethink that action. If you truly can’t avoid the possibility you’re going to cause someone pain, then at least have enough integrity to be honest with them about it.
Just make sure that if they confront you they have real proof before you ‘fess up or else you’re gonna be in a whole heap of trouble and it’s gonna make you look real bad. And besides, why would you want to tell them anything if it’s going to hurt em? You’re not being selfish! Heck no, that’s being thoughtful of their feelings. (Besides, if you tell the truth then I’m gonna be put in a real bad place and you wouldn’t want THAT, now, would you? I won’t admit to nothin’, so you better still be with me on this!)
Love. Love until you don’t think your heart can possibly hold any more. Love like there’s no tomorrow and you never had a yesterday. If you love someone, it’s glorious! It’s a blessing when we love and we ARE supposed to love one another. Loving doesn’t mean being IN love. It’s a gift, not a death sentence.
Just don’t be “that person.” You don’t want to actually TELL someone you love them! You’ll just freak them out and I know you don’t want them to know you’re so needy and clingy! You just can’t LOVE someone that soon anyway; plus, you’re WITH ANOTHER PERSON! You can’t be serious about this! Besides, everyone knows that word is so overused it’s just worthless now anyway, so whatever you do, don’t tell that person you love em. You really are such a child.
Have you noticed a shift in modern ideals and values? What would you add?
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