| Thoughts on Power, Responsibility and Wrong |
[09 Jan 2008|05:07pm] |
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music |
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Blue Sparks - Car Crash |
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I always hated the saying, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade". It was always something that authority would say after imposing some injustice, roughly translated as, "when someone makes you take it up the ass, try to fellate them". Now I wonder what was lost in its abuse and translation.
I have trouble with situations that are largely and irrevocably out of my control. These include death, some genetic/physical flaws, and acceptance by certain institutions and people. In the past, when most of the challenges in my life were far lower-level, refusal was the magic bullet, as I lost weight, corrected for mental difficulties and seemed to be adapting faster than my problems could pile on. More recently, I feel more like I'm facing unkillable monsters.
Another common mis-translation is between "responsibility" and "guilt". Responsibility is about what does happen, whereas guilt adds an element of what should. We are responsible for our bad choices, but that does necessarily not mean that we are guilty and must be punished for them. In many cases, such a miscalculation can lead to quite a supply of punishment, wholly undeserved.
Sometimes, the best thing to do is just sit back and let things fall as they will. Sometimes trying harder just burns out. Sometimes over-preparation is worse than under. Sometimes it really helps to reserve time specifically for nothing.
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