edward fox's reality

Please Note: This isn’t meant to be a true “self-advice” blog post, as it really didn’t involve the true elements of how I feel in it. This isn’t how I intended for it to turn out, so forgive me. Losing most of my blog post and pain in my eye and tiredness took over. Better luck next time! This, I guess, is a true rant, and nothing more. Next time, part II, I will work on that.

Rated TV-PG for Mild Language.

In this world that we live in, sometimes we make choices that don’t really seem to be the best. Sometimes, we may think they are. Protecting what we know is true within us, but covering it up to satisfy the ones around us. Lying to get our way. Doing things that hurt other people that benefit ourselves. In this blog post, I am going to discuss what people should be doing, instead of what we’ve been doing all along.

For centuries, humans have depended on one another for essential needs: protection, companionship, and continuing to live through offspring, etc. So, why is this relevant to anything? I think before I start talking about this, I want to give a bit of background on why I am wanting to rant about this tonight. This is one of my first true rants, deserving only the “Rants” headliner (category).

What if you found someone that you thought was cool on MySpace, and you wanted to get to know them as a friend? Perhaps, maybe a good friend. You seemed to get along well, and didn’t seem to mind talking, or in this early-stage case, typing, to one another. Oddly enough (damn, another category name. Oh well– let’s act like I didn’t type that), a third party intervenes, causing turmoil in your newly-developing friendship. An outsider. A foreigner. Damn him.

This is a story about friendship, honesty, and people just pissing me, and others, indirectly, off. To quote myself…

Intelligence Boi (11:53:26 PM): it’ll start out rather elementary.

Yes, short, sweet, and well-said. When I start talking, I’m really just talking from what I feel, paving my own way, so to speak. Most of us think this is right, doing what we want, when we want to. Fortunately, there are people that have experienced more life than we have, whether in their own life and their interpretation of it, or because they have followed advice from others that seem to be rather effective. This isn’t to say old people know more, or that people who have died before us know which way is up in life. This simply means that perhaps, once in a while, or more often (small steps first), we should take others’ advice. This is something I must work on, but something I wanted to share before really discussing anything.

Blah blah blah. What’s your point? We need to learn to listen to what others have to say, and have an open mind. Without an open mind, we can only think what we think. Sounds like a good thing, but it isn’t. If we all did what we thought was right, our world would be pretty screwed up. Oh, wait… Yeah. Looks like that’s something we could all benefit from– just listening to one another. But first, we have to solve a problem that’s really plaguing us all- honesty.

“Honesty? I don’t have a problem with that,” or so you say. One way or another, each of us has a problem with either bending the truth, withholding it, giving too much of it, telling the wrong people, saying it at the wrong time, or using information given to us, intentionally or unintentionally, in a way other than what the original teller intended for it to be used. “Malicious purposes,” to be legal, technical, and summational.

Life has many fine lines. If we don’t cross one, chances are we have crossed another, but I think that there is always one very clear violation, and that is leading someone on under any circumstance. My friend that I was getting to know apparently didn’t enjoy talking to me, but continued to act as if he did. Why do people do that? Now, I’ve stated my problem. Discussion!

What good can result from this? His friend sent me a message, in which he said the following:

1. The person I was talking to didn’t like talking to me.
2. I’m gay and need to find a boyfriend.
3. I am going to get beat up because he has the power to do that.
4. I am ugly.

Word up. I may agree with #4, but is that really necessary? If anything, the message should have simply stated one of the following:

1. The person you are talking to doesn’t like you.
2. You need to talk to [that person] because I don’t think [that person] likes you.

Insulting me is not necessary, but I don’t mind that. I do mind, however, being led along, as if I was making a new friend. Why does this bother me?

1. I was being nice to you, respecting you, and caring enough to reply to your messages.
2. I was honest with you. Did I not deserve the same thing?
3. I was myself, so why couldn’t you do the same?

#2 and #3 are similar, but not the same.

The basis for this complaint, however, is people simply not being themselves. No one deserves to be led along, regardless. So, just be honest with whoever. There is a difference between niceness, honesty, and discretion. You should use discretion whenever you tell things to people as to avoid conflict, but if you think or know something is wrong, why do it? Just be honest, and say it. That’s the truly nice thing to do.

All in all, people are generally good, and I understand that, but we don’t take how other people would react to the downside of an action that we take. We need to consider what we are doing, and it seems that too often, our actions go unchecked within ourselves, but unfortunately, not unnoticed.

Closing Advice: Just be honest. Don’t lag behind reality. It’ll catch up with you and everyone else.

Part II will be much better, I promise. (;