Tuesday, August 01, 2006
One More Opinion
Faith Without Works:
There are people in my life, not my partner or our closest friends, but people close to me nonetheless, who talk a lot about changing things in the world – but do absolutely nothing to bring about such change. The reason I’m bringing this up is because I’ve started to realize how much this bugs the shit out of me.
The kind of people I’m referring to talk a great game. If you didn’t know them you might assume they are politically and socially active based on how they talk, but they do nothing to make the world a better place outside of give-and-take organizations. If they do anything that benefits others it always involves them getting something back. They never volunteer, never show up at events or demonstrations, never march in rallies. Some of them don’t even vote. Often they claim their involvement in religious or spiritual groups means they give, but that dynamic is a give-and-take, not selfless giving. And when you observe their behavior even in their spiritual and/or religious community they don’t really contribute anything there, either.
Some are the most self-righteous and arrogant people I’ve ever known. They talk as if they are somehow more evolved or progressive than others when in practice they are very selfish. Everything is somehow about them. A reflection of them. When others take action they talk about how it will affect them. Every single event is viewed through a lens of how it affects their lives.
When people complain about politics the first question I ask is if they vote. The second question is if they write letters to their elected representatives. If they don’t I usually state they really don’t have the standing to complain – basically they should shut up.
And the type of people I’m talking about are very good at justifying and rationalizing their selfishness, instead of simply being honest about how self-interested they are. They pretend to be deeply spiritual and they fear being accurately reflected. Excuses are their mainstay.
I get really fed up with people who claim to be spiritually progressive but do nothing to make the world a better place. They accuse others of the selfishness and hypocrisy they display constantly. If you do nothing to change the world you are not putting your spirituality into practice.
“Faith without works is dead.”
My mentor always taught me the opposite of faith is fear, and I would wager the type of people I’m talking about have a lot of fear they hide behind their high-minded words. If true this is very sad.
And it’s not that I don’t like these people. I don’t respect them and I think they’re full of shit, but I don’t dislike them. I don’t know if this makes them bad people. It’s not my place to judge that.
I guess there’s a part of me that just wants them to be honest. If they’re going to live a life of selfishness they should stop pretending they are deeply spiritual and progressive.
Because their behavior is an insult to those of us who put ourselves out there. They are taking credit for the hard work and selfless giving of others, credit they do not deserve. They are also generally arrogant, hypocritical and dishonest. They really are no better than the people they criticize. It’s an insult to those who do make a difference.
I guess that’s the part that bugs me the most.
I actually have more respect for people who don’t try and pretend they do not live a selfish life. I would rather listen to a selfish person who is honest about their pursuit of their personal interests.
I’m tired of listening to these hypocrites’ pathetic attempts to build themselves up. As I get older I find I have less patience and tolerance for bullshit in general, and less patience for this specific type of bullshit. Maybe I realize the value of time more than I used to, and these people waste the time of others.
I guess I also get a little defensive towards people who try to take credit for the hard work of others. They really do insult those who give of themselves. Most people don’t like to take credit for the hard work they do. This is a common behavioral trait among people I respect and admire. So I guess it seems like a double-insult when the selfish are trying to take credit they do not deserve.
It’s dishonest, egoistic, and a disservice to those who are trying to make a difference.
If you’re doing nothing, shut the fuck up. You have no right to complain about the state of the world because you do nothing to change it. It’s that simple.
And if this seems like an attack I guess it is. I just run out of tolerance for those who build themselves up at the expense of others, for the hard work of others. In a way it’s a violation of others, and it’s a great insult to those who give freely of themselves.
That’s my soapbox for the day.
Faith Without Works:
There are people in my life, not my partner or our closest friends, but people close to me nonetheless, who talk a lot about changing things in the world – but do absolutely nothing to bring about such change. The reason I’m bringing this up is because I’ve started to realize how much this bugs the shit out of me.
The kind of people I’m referring to talk a great game. If you didn’t know them you might assume they are politically and socially active based on how they talk, but they do nothing to make the world a better place outside of give-and-take organizations. If they do anything that benefits others it always involves them getting something back. They never volunteer, never show up at events or demonstrations, never march in rallies. Some of them don’t even vote. Often they claim their involvement in religious or spiritual groups means they give, but that dynamic is a give-and-take, not selfless giving. And when you observe their behavior even in their spiritual and/or religious community they don’t really contribute anything there, either.
Some are the most self-righteous and arrogant people I’ve ever known. They talk as if they are somehow more evolved or progressive than others when in practice they are very selfish. Everything is somehow about them. A reflection of them. When others take action they talk about how it will affect them. Every single event is viewed through a lens of how it affects their lives.
When people complain about politics the first question I ask is if they vote. The second question is if they write letters to their elected representatives. If they don’t I usually state they really don’t have the standing to complain – basically they should shut up.
And the type of people I’m talking about are very good at justifying and rationalizing their selfishness, instead of simply being honest about how self-interested they are. They pretend to be deeply spiritual and they fear being accurately reflected. Excuses are their mainstay.
I get really fed up with people who claim to be spiritually progressive but do nothing to make the world a better place. They accuse others of the selfishness and hypocrisy they display constantly. If you do nothing to change the world you are not putting your spirituality into practice.
“Faith without works is dead.”
My mentor always taught me the opposite of faith is fear, and I would wager the type of people I’m talking about have a lot of fear they hide behind their high-minded words. If true this is very sad.
And it’s not that I don’t like these people. I don’t respect them and I think they’re full of shit, but I don’t dislike them. I don’t know if this makes them bad people. It’s not my place to judge that.
I guess there’s a part of me that just wants them to be honest. If they’re going to live a life of selfishness they should stop pretending they are deeply spiritual and progressive.
Because their behavior is an insult to those of us who put ourselves out there. They are taking credit for the hard work and selfless giving of others, credit they do not deserve. They are also generally arrogant, hypocritical and dishonest. They really are no better than the people they criticize. It’s an insult to those who do make a difference.
I guess that’s the part that bugs me the most.
I actually have more respect for people who don’t try and pretend they do not live a selfish life. I would rather listen to a selfish person who is honest about their pursuit of their personal interests.
I’m tired of listening to these hypocrites’ pathetic attempts to build themselves up. As I get older I find I have less patience and tolerance for bullshit in general, and less patience for this specific type of bullshit. Maybe I realize the value of time more than I used to, and these people waste the time of others.
I guess I also get a little defensive towards people who try to take credit for the hard work of others. They really do insult those who give of themselves. Most people don’t like to take credit for the hard work they do. This is a common behavioral trait among people I respect and admire. So I guess it seems like a double-insult when the selfish are trying to take credit they do not deserve.
It’s dishonest, egoistic, and a disservice to those who are trying to make a difference.
If you’re doing nothing, shut the fuck up. You have no right to complain about the state of the world because you do nothing to change it. It’s that simple.
And if this seems like an attack I guess it is. I just run out of tolerance for those who build themselves up at the expense of others, for the hard work of others. In a way it’s a violation of others, and it’s a great insult to those who give freely of themselves.
That’s my soapbox for the day.
# posted by Phillip T. Alden @ 10:36 AM 
