Me vs. All the Liars and Cheaters in the World, Including You

                                  Ch. XII
                              
                         "Why I'm Better Than You"
                                     or
                "Yourself Is the Only Thing You Really Own"
            
  Some of you may have reacted in utter disgust at the apparently extreme 
conceit of the primary title, but hold on; all will be explained. I admit to
suffering from from some degree of megalomania, but even I am loath to make
such an untenable judgement upon the nature of others. As the subtitle
implies, I am only qualified to render judgement upon the nature of myself,
as I am NOT, nor am I likely ever to BE, in knowledge of the true and
complete nature of anyone BUT myself. 

  So now that I've demonstrated my impressive command of the english
language by using unnecessary fifty-cent words, I'll continue using reg'lar
five-cent prose. I grudgingly agree with Hemmingway on this point. His
belief that 80% of the story should be implied "between the lines", however,
I disagree with violently. But I'll save that as a subject for a future
venomous diatribe.

  So, back to the subject at hand: Why I'm better than you. The point I'm
trying to get across is that one should remain true to oneself. In my
experience, the primary reason why people are unhappy stems from their
self-perceived inability to measure up to some artificial standard. Almost
without exception, this artificial standard is based on some outside person
or group. The solution is simple. Look to yourself for guidance instead of
looking to others.

  This is not to say that nobody has any attributes worthy of imitation. In
fact, I can think of no better source. But these attributes should be
adopted only if they work for YOU, or can be tailored to your needs. Don't
join the Marines just because Uncle Fred did. If, in the course of talking
to Uncle Fred about his time in the Marines, you realize that a similar path
(note that I didn't say the SAME path) would suit your psychological growth
and leave you better than before, go for it. If you want to become a jarhead
only because it worked for Uncle Fred, you need to re-evaluate.

  It's of the utmost importance that you know yourself. Don't bother trying
to dissect others until you have a clear picture of who YOU are. Find your
moral code and stick to it. You cannot respect the way others work until you
know the way YOU work. To ignore your own, personal rules is one of the
things I despise most in people. I have more respect for a cold-blooded,
self-centered materialist who thinks of nothing but incrementing the number
under "Ending Balance" on his mothly bank statement than I have for those
psychological vampires that offer their help without it being asked, but
then walk around with a feeling of resentment because the unrequested help
is never renumerated. Psychological vampires can suck the enjoyment of being
alive right out of you. 

  Yeah great, you say, but what does all this philosophical ranting mean in
the REAL world? I'm sure it's a little different for everyone, but I know
what *I* had to do. I had to learn to say "no". I used to violate my own
moral code DAILY, all because I couldn't say "no". No, I won't pay your half
of the rent this month. No, I won't drive you to fucking Orange County to
see your ex-boyfriend. No, I won't let you borrow my car to go rob a bunch
of pot growers at gunpoint with a MAC-10. I can say "no" now, and I am
better for it. The person asking the question may get pissed, but if he
does, then he doesn't respect my moral code and therefore isn't worth a
cat's ass anyway. You gotta do what YOU know is right. You have to say to
yourself "What *I* think is right is all that matters. It doesn't matter
what he thinks, she thinks, they think, or what YOU think. It all comes down
to ME."

  In the end sum, it doesn't matter what material goods you own, because
they can all be lost. Fire. Flood. Theft. Left it at the airport. Everything
is transient. Except one thing; the one thing no one can take from you.
You. The only thing you really own is yourself. Treat yourself well.

[Sun 06-18-1995 10:53:04 pm]