“Man is the only creature that refuses to be what he is.”
--Albert Camus
French thinker Albert Camus along with his intellectual predecessor hailing from Denmark, Søren Kierkegaard, are two of my favorite philosophers of all time.
Those two rank number two and three right behind President of the Catholic League, William Donohue, who can still make an argument for the perfection of the Catholic Church even though it is obvious to many of us, that Bill’s every day anger is merely a mask to cover memories of being fondled by a Catholic Priest when he was but eight years old…or something.
But I digress…
Anyway, I was desperately trying to think of something to write for today, when a guy came through the Beer Mine in order to purchase a six pack of Budweiser bottles.
As I handed the six pack of bottles to him he said, “Could I have a bag for those?”
As that request always pisses me off, I said jokingly, “But it conveniently comes with a handle.”
To which he chuckled and responded, “I know, but I have nosy neighbors.”
Y’know? Camus was right. Here’s this dude some 55 years old or so worrying that his neighbors may see him take some beer into his own fucking home.
Dear God…and this is not the first time I have had this experience. I have witnessed often the, “could I have a bag so my neighbors don’t see me drinking so many times.”
Every time it happens, I cringe and think, “Why the hell do you hide who you are or what you do from neighbors whom you probably don’t even give a shit about?”
Granted, Camus said it more eloquently in the introductory quote, but you know what I am preachin’ here people!! It drives me nuts because there are plenty of examples such as that that unfold every day.
People who say openly and/or privately…
“I don’t want others to know that I take my kids to McDonalds.”
“I hide my smoking because my peers will look at me condescendingly.”
“I go to Church every Sunday, not to worship a God and Jesus about whose tenets I haven’t the vaguest clues nor live by, but rather, just to be seen.”
Man…it is sad that so many fully developed, adult human beings are so incredibly afraid of what others think about them, that they devolve into something that they are not.
Sad, that they hide who they are.
Far too many people hide their true feelings in order to be accepted into certain social groups, neighborhoods, political parties, and most sadly, one on one relationships.
It never works out. When one conforms to societal norms that go against who he or she is, there is bondage. Bondage of the human spirit, and the end result is almost always, self loathing and displaced hatred towards others.
Folks today need to get out of their emotional and societal easy chairs and dare to stand alone. Or as Camus said…
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
Sadly, too often today, personal freedom is looked upon as being a form of rebellion, but it is a revolution for which we should take up arms in the form of individuality, and fight.
Cheers!!
Matt-Man
neshobadude@yahoo.com
@mattmaniws
--Albert Camus
French thinker Albert Camus along with his intellectual predecessor hailing from Denmark, Søren Kierkegaard, are two of my favorite philosophers of all time.
But I digress…
Anyway, I was desperately trying to think of something to write for today, when a guy came through the Beer Mine in order to purchase a six pack of Budweiser bottles.
As I handed the six pack of bottles to him he said, “Could I have a bag for those?”
As that request always pisses me off, I said jokingly, “But it conveniently comes with a handle.”
To which he chuckled and responded, “I know, but I have nosy neighbors.”
Y’know? Camus was right. Here’s this dude some 55 years old or so worrying that his neighbors may see him take some beer into his own fucking home.
Dear God…and this is not the first time I have had this experience. I have witnessed often the, “could I have a bag so my neighbors don’t see me drinking so many times.”
Every time it happens, I cringe and think, “Why the hell do you hide who you are or what you do from neighbors whom you probably don’t even give a shit about?”
Granted, Camus said it more eloquently in the introductory quote, but you know what I am preachin’ here people!! It drives me nuts because there are plenty of examples such as that that unfold every day.
People who say openly and/or privately…
“I don’t want others to know that I take my kids to McDonalds.”
“I hide my smoking because my peers will look at me condescendingly.”
“I go to Church every Sunday, not to worship a God and Jesus about whose tenets I haven’t the vaguest clues nor live by, but rather, just to be seen.”
Man…it is sad that so many fully developed, adult human beings are so incredibly afraid of what others think about them, that they devolve into something that they are not.
Sad, that they hide who they are.
Far too many people hide their true feelings in order to be accepted into certain social groups, neighborhoods, political parties, and most sadly, one on one relationships.
It never works out. When one conforms to societal norms that go against who he or she is, there is bondage. Bondage of the human spirit, and the end result is almost always, self loathing and displaced hatred towards others.
Folks today need to get out of their emotional and societal easy chairs and dare to stand alone. Or as Camus said…
“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
Sadly, too often today, personal freedom is looked upon as being a form of rebellion, but it is a revolution for which we should take up arms in the form of individuality, and fight.
Cheers!!
Matt-Man
neshobadude@yahoo.com
@mattmaniws
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