Memories

“Are memories something that we have lost or something that we have”

Woddy Allen

People Skills

Sometimes I wonder about the people who have people skills. I wonder about them, because it can be argued that, from time to time, I to seem to have those skills. I guess my perplexity about this matter has to do with the borderline with hypocrisy and cynicism that to me run deep, when I keep to myself thoughts that I wish I had the nerve to put them out in the open.

What I do instead is smile or dismiss some ordinary joke to try and defuse the situation. Now that I think about It, I realize that I defuse it more for my protection than for the others. I guess I try to avoid conflicts, if, cowardly, I realize I cannot win them. I guess this in turn, might seem to make me quite the coward who lurks upon the weak and defenseless as prey to my evil deeds.

I do not see myself as the bully who chases anyone to feel a meager sense of superiority. Granted that sometimes I do indulge myself on pathetic attempt of grandeur, but it soon fades as I realize the fabric of my aspirations.

Still, I do wish I had the courage to speak out loud, rather than slipping into the diplomatic clownish role that suits the people so much. I guess I do everyone a favor by playing ball with the roles, and not standing so much in the spot light. After all, there are so many people around me that are attracted to it as bugs are attracted to the deadly blue light.

I wonder, if this is another representation of the Peter Gabriel’s song “We do what we’re told”. Do we? Just to fit in? I guess sociopaths just do not get along, because more than just saying whatever they please, they tend to do whatever they please even if it is unhealthy to others around me.

I have no aspiration on becoming a sociopath or do I condone their actions. But I wonder if faking, pretending and just playing along with the status quo defined by those in charge, is really the best people skills I have to aspire.

Moreover, if I am aware of this about myself, is anyone else aware of this. Is this even a problem?

Oh well, I would better resume with my day and kick off with that honest sense of people skills that keeps the world running.

The powerless mob loves Schadenfreude

At times I realize how frail the morals are within a so called enlighten people. It takes as little as a seed of contempt planted on the eager minds of those that readily follow the opinion makers to state a judgment they would not have had were it not for the innuendo planted before them.

It is sad to realize that I too have been lured by the opinions of others and swayed by the lure of a view which otherwise would not be my own. So I too am, at times, a member of this powerless mob that just follow the shepherd of the will as if his/her words were the unequivocal truth.

These kinds of manipulations have been depicted throughout the history of mankind. It appears that a small group of men have the ability to carry their own plans by convincing others. This can be good, when a leader is able to altruistic define a common benefic plan to be set into motion to help the whole group. This can be, if a bully can convince a majority of the group to act in contempt of a person or small group people to benefit mainly the bully. The benefits are not always clear, they might not be materialistic, they might just be display of superiority, a show of strength, a way to obliterate some competition. Alas, the bad option seems to be a much more common choice. The reptilian brain with all its instincts of survival and competition, makes people much fiercer towards on and other than supportive.

Nowadays with the advent of social media, ideas circulate like opiates. People comment on everything. The freedom of speech is alive, but the comprehensive thought is slow and usually mean. The mean spirited in most of us frequently comes out with so much spite and so little moderation, that the comments that you read on the social networks about current affairs are shear evil.

People are using the social media as forum to vent their personal frustrations disguised as attacks to the current figure who is been targeted. Much like the inquisition, the people would blindly and out of fear accept the judgment and would cheer for the sentence to be carried out.

Schadenfreude.

How people love to take pleasure out of someone else’s misery, particularly if they are a figure of reference or authority within the group or the society. If there is a chance to throw a rock, even if it is disguised by ill-meant words, they will do it. The western society often looks with contempt to other societies for displaying savage behavior, with barbaric sentences for petty crimes, when in fact the western society displays similar behaviors with different weapons… because words and attitudes will never hurt the same way as a rock.

How easy it is for us to pretend that this is all part of a free, democratic way of living and expressing different views. I welcome the debate, until it becomes an issue of dissenting on others who are just different, or if eventually erred.

The mob unfortunately, with all the access it has to a lengthy library of knowledge, does not seem to take time to learn from it, but rather just throw the first rock when the savant bully throws up some piece of ideological manure for others to blindly follow.

This week, any notion of a tolerant and respectful society just came closer to a fatal demise and the monsters are not just due on Mapple Street but in every other street.

Comment on that you mindless jackals that lurk on the opportunity to criticize for the pleasure of making feel the other inferior.