I Have Decided That You Are Wrong

In the last ‘Blog’ I was a little bit cynical about people’s ability to do anything at all. This was based on the notion that we are, all of us, encouraged to do things that our parents, relatives, close friends and sundry others want us to do.

These people will tell you, “Hey! You’re good at that. Why don’t you turn professional?”

One of the quirks of this requirement of others is that they are, as ever, giving you advice based on what they want or need; this is not necessarily what you want or need.

One of the most dreaded sentences in my life starts with, “If I were you...”

They are not me.

Let’s get this straight right from the word ‘go’!

Other people are so concerned that you do things the way they want you to do that the possibility of you making your own decisions can result in animosity or, even, hatred.

If you don’t believe me then try changing your religion!

There is a powerful belief in conformity in the world.

If you doubt this you should read ‘Facebook’. This is a social media tool that is, often, an anti-social media. People will gather in groups to sing the same song about the same subject; they will ‘preach to the choir’. Comments or opinions that are at variance with their own ideas and concepts are rejected—sometimes vehemently and rudely.

Intolerance is rife. I have even been taken to task about my use (their view was ‘misuse’) of the word ‘tolerance’!

So we can start with the notion that your immortal soul, or not—if you are an atheist, is yours. It is yours to do with as you wish. What you do with it is entirely your concern. You may, if you wish, worship a tree that grows near your house.

I will regard this is odd. I may even regard you as disconnected from the normal concept of reality but I will not try to change your mind. Indeed, if somebody comes along and tells you that you may not worship that tree I will stand alongside you and fight with you for the right (for you) to worship that tree.

I will not condone this belief, I will not agree with you but it is your right to do as you wish. This is what exists in your head, it does not impinge on anything that occurs in my head.

In a broader sense we have people who enjoy ‘chick lit’. They are misled into believing this is some sort of art form that they should enjoy. Naturally they should be wiped from the face of the Earth along with fans of ‘Steampunk’, ‘Vampire/Werewolf Stories’, ‘Romantic novels’ and ‘Young Adult Fiction’. I feel an irrational hatred building up for these people as I do for those who like to consume mint with their meals. Furthermore, anyone who dresses in anything containing red—especially men, and anyone who wears disgusting vertical black and white stripes should be banned from public sight; it should be made legal to shoot such people from close range in order to avoid the possibility of wounding them and allowing their escape to perpetrate such sick practices on another occasion.

Stupid? Yes. What is the difference between that and any other opinion?

Perhaps we should go into battle over the content of some reality show. Pick one. ‘Cops’? Let’s fight over what that portrays. After watching several shows I decided that America is populated in its entirety with black people who are bent on supplying everyone with drugs and skinny white people in vests who are constantly drunk and abusing their wives. Now we can argue over that.

We can argue over anything you like, really. Well, you can argue. I shall just listen. You can argue on your own. Many people do just that and they make a pretty good fist of it, too.

One day we shall become socially advanced sufficiently for people to accept that others have their own opinions to which they are entitled.

I have often told my classes that they will work, on occasion, with people they don’t like. Put up with it; these people you don’t like are still colleagues. You will not always work with friends.

You will, unbelievably, work with people who don’t like you. No, really. You know you are a nice person whose opinion is always good and valid but they may not have grasped that idea.

Some time ago a colleague said to me, “You don’t like me very much, do you?”

I explained, very carefully, “No, you are wrong. I don’t like you at all.”

He was shocked. Why? If you don’t want an answer then you should not ask the question.

Perhaps he should have said something like, “If I were you...”