A Holiday Message
A holiday message, a gift of sorts… but be aware… or beware… it’s not the typical message and there’s some “bad words.”
Happy holidays. Peace on Earth! It’s certainly something to consider.One of my favorite comedians was the late George Carlin. Something about his ability to describe the stark reality in a funny way… and in doing so, allow people to laugh, primarily at themselves, was one of his unique gifts. With that in mind, my tone in this endeavor is to be humorous in that way.
One of George’s most famous lines… “It’s all bullshit. Bullshit is the glue that keeps it all together.”
That is one that has stuck with me. I don’t like bullshit, I never did. I’d prefer to live in a world without bullshit… and although that is probably unlikely, at the very least, I’d like to identify the people who are in agreement with me and start contributing to removing what we can, together… for the benefit of everyone.
And that in a nutshell is the gift I’d like to offer to you, the reader… Less BS. In fact, I will try for no bullshit for the rest of this message!
I think this is valuable because the bullshit has gotten so deep,
it’s not knee deep,
it’s not waist deep,
it’s not neck deep,
it’s over the vast majority of people’s eyes… and that is indeed, a problem worth solving.
Can we get a “No bullshit!” to that?
That’s the gist of my message… and if you’re short on time, you can stop here.
For those who want to know more, I’ll give you more, but be warned, the more you know, the more responsibility you have… and for many, responsibility is like volunteering to put a noose around their neck. I don’t blame them… I do know why… it’s because we haven’t been well prepared for dealing with the world’s realities. So let’s start there.
My first point of three. There’s a statement that says “There’s a fool born everyday.”
Well, let me call bullshit on that!
Sure, if we look out into the modern world… you can’t swing a stick without hitting someone who is fooled. Stupid shit is everywhere! But that isn’t natural, that’s what the system has manufactured. This however, is where the ugliness of responsibility creeps in. When we figure out we’re doing or contributing to something foolish or stupid. We can’t blame the system. The system is just an illusion. We can’t even blame the other fools running or participating in the system. They are fooled (we can’t draw any other conclusion without making assumptions… and you know where that leads). There’s only one individual we can truly change, and that is ourselves. That realization isn’t an easy one… and in a world full of bullshit.
It’s hard to even know where to start.
It’s true! I tell ya! It’s incredibly hard to find an industry, a profession, even a topic that isn’t full to the brim with bullshit. George had it right! God bless him! Even if his God is the Sun!
I know this because on the very first day of my official adulthood (My 17th birthday) I signed up to become property of one of the worst bullshit organizations… the US government.
FYI… if any of that or the following triggers you. I’m sorry but it’s a good indicator that you’re probably over your head in the stuff. I’m certainly not one to judge because I’ve been there. It’s a particularly nasty version of Hell to discover that you’re contributing to the suffering of others or yourself under the banner of ‘doing good.’ I can almost guarantee, everyone involved under that banner isn’t going to want to admit it or even ponder it… because of that damn thing called… “responsibility.” I can only offer my sympathy and empathy in addition to my story of how I’m dealing with it.
To continue, I was fooled into believing serving the US military’s “leaders” had something to do with providing or sustaining people’s freedom. It’s easy to do, the lie sounds so heroic and there’s a mountainous load of propaganda dedicated to perpetuating it. There’s also many rewards for remaining faithful to that bullshit. I believed it, wholeheartedly, because I thought I had to. However, the bottomline is, working for the government is actually contributing to the very opposite of freedom. From the soldier doing his “duty,” to the very long list of those being oppressed, everyone is harmed and diminished.
I found many clues along the way, some happened almost instantaneously. “This is bullshit!” could be considered the unofficial motto of the US military.. and even more generally, all government work. Just ask anyone with experience. But it wasn’t until about two years of involvement that I honestly came to the conclusion within; that this brand of bullshit wasn’t for me. No one other than I was responsible for digging myself out of the mess. Unfortunately, it's not even that easy. It would take almost ten years of blood, sweat and tears to extricate myself from what appeared to be a simple act of just signing a piece of paper on that day, August 13th, 1985.
This is again… a stark reminder of the troubling nature of personal responsibility.
My second point. Pride is a double edged sword. I’ve learned to be very careful of what I’m proud of because… most of the things people are taught to be proud of is actually like putting a billboard sized hat on the says… “Easily fooled! Here I am, please take advantage of me!” Yes, it’s more bullshizza!
When I had finally freed myself of the first life sized bullshit trap I had gotten myself into. I was in the midst of working diligently into another one. November 4th 1994 was the day I was issued an honorable discharge from my indentured servitude to the US government. At that time I was well on my way to receiving a “degree” from my “Alma mater” Purdue. I would continue, working full time at a myriad of positions while going to school full time to receive an AS, then a BS, and even several MS’s… I should have got the hint at BS… but that obviously indicates the level of BS I was dealing with… it was over my eyes! And it didn’t stop there. On several occasions I was recognized for being at the top of my class… a true believer! And I was rewarded. Unlike many with degrees, I actually got a J-O-B in my profession.
That being the field of Construction Management.
Construction is another industry that could declare “This is bullshit!” as its unofficial motto… just ask someone with experience.
I quietly told myself… and subsequently repeated it to others. “I realized I didn’t want to spend a lifetime blowing stuff up… I recognized that was harmful, so I went the opposite way… building stuff!” Little did I realize that wasn’t the answer either. This riddle of bullshit, is wrapped in mystery inside an enigma. Put another way, it seemed like an unsolvable puzzle that’s missing pieces! Eventually, I would find myself coming to the conclusion that much of what is being built is similar to a Hollywood set. Its not actually built to be used or to function well… just to look like it. I can’t say I didn’t learn things, because I did, I gained a great deal of wisdom from a wide assortment of people associated with construction. There are many ‘salt of the Earth’ people just trying to get by and many who have become pragmatists to ease their mind… The second motto of many in that crowd is… “I didn’t write the rules, I’m just playing the game.”
Sorry, but that’s bullshit too!
My second career or bullshit lifetime trap, as I like to refer to it, would end in February of 2007 when I was fired. The moment the words came out of my boss’s mouth, I was elated! Just over twelve years to extricate myself from that bullshit trap! But troublingly, it wasn’t an escape… I thought I had built up a nest egg of enough money that I could simply call myself “semi-retired” before I hit 40. Something I thought I could be proud of.. Wrong! More bullshit!
Which leads to my third and final point.
To continue, I was fooled into believing serving the US military’s “leaders” had something to do with providing or sustaining people’s freedom. It’s easy to do, the lie sounds so heroic and there’s a mountainous load of propaganda dedicated to perpetuating it. There’s also many rewards for remaining faithful to that bullshit. I believed it, wholeheartedly, because I thought I had to. However, the bottomline is, working for the government is actually contributing to the very opposite of freedom. From the soldier doing his “duty,” to the very long list of those being oppressed, everyone is harmed and diminished.
I found many clues along the way, some happened almost instantaneously. “This is bullshit!” could be considered the unofficial motto of the US military.. and even more generally, all government work. Just ask anyone with experience. But it wasn’t until about two years of involvement that I honestly came to the conclusion within; that this brand of bullshit wasn’t for me. No one other than I was responsible for digging myself out of the mess. Unfortunately, it's not even that easy. It would take almost ten years of blood, sweat and tears to extricate myself from what appeared to be a simple act of just signing a piece of paper on that day, August 13th, 1985.
This is again… a stark reminder of the troubling nature of personal responsibility.
My second point. Pride is a double edged sword. I’ve learned to be very careful of what I’m proud of because… most of the things people are taught to be proud of is actually like putting a billboard sized hat on the says… “Easily fooled! Here I am, please take advantage of me!” Yes, it’s more bullshizza!
When I had finally freed myself of the first life sized bullshit trap I had gotten myself into. I was in the midst of working diligently into another one. November 4th 1994 was the day I was issued an honorable discharge from my indentured servitude to the US government. At that time I was well on my way to receiving a “degree” from my “Alma mater” Purdue. I would continue, working full time at a myriad of positions while going to school full time to receive an AS, then a BS, and even several MS’s… I should have got the hint at BS… but that obviously indicates the level of BS I was dealing with… it was over my eyes! And it didn’t stop there. On several occasions I was recognized for being at the top of my class… a true believer! And I was rewarded. Unlike many with degrees, I actually got a J-O-B in my profession.
That being the field of Construction Management.
Construction is another industry that could declare “This is bullshit!” as its unofficial motto… just ask someone with experience.
I quietly told myself… and subsequently repeated it to others. “I realized I didn’t want to spend a lifetime blowing stuff up… I recognized that was harmful, so I went the opposite way… building stuff!” Little did I realize that wasn’t the answer either. This riddle of bullshit, is wrapped in mystery inside an enigma. Put another way, it seemed like an unsolvable puzzle that’s missing pieces! Eventually, I would find myself coming to the conclusion that much of what is being built is similar to a Hollywood set. Its not actually built to be used or to function well… just to look like it. I can’t say I didn’t learn things, because I did, I gained a great deal of wisdom from a wide assortment of people associated with construction. There are many ‘salt of the Earth’ people just trying to get by and many who have become pragmatists to ease their mind… The second motto of many in that crowd is… “I didn’t write the rules, I’m just playing the game.”
Sorry, but that’s bullshit too!
My second career or bullshit lifetime trap, as I like to refer to it, would end in February of 2007 when I was fired. The moment the words came out of my boss’s mouth, I was elated! Just over twelve years to extricate myself from that bullshit trap! But troublingly, it wasn’t an escape… I thought I had built up a nest egg of enough money that I could simply call myself “semi-retired” before I hit 40. Something I thought I could be proud of.. Wrong! More bullshit!
Which leads to my third and final point.
“The love of money is the root of all evil.”
There’s so much bullshit in that statement I could go on for weeks.
Even the words have been contaminated by bullshit is the short explanation.
But let’s focus on the “money” part for brevity’s sake.
Ignorance of the illusion of money is a big part of how so much bullshit has gotten and continues to be produced. “Money” or what most people call money is actually something as best as I can explain it with these bullshit words, is a one world religion that unites us all in this world of bullshit.
I don’t say that lightly or without conviction. But at the same time, even with all the life lessons, all the books I’ve read, and all the time and intense conversations I’ve had with those with expertise,
I could be wrong, and it could be even worse.
But believe it or not, there’s also a chance it could actually get much simpler.
In anycase, I’m trying to stick to my earlier assertion… I’m trying hard to deliver… no bullshit!
Money does paper over many glaring signals and red flags that could otherwise lead us to greener pastures and/or the difficult realization that continuing to swim in the bullshit isn’t going to eventually end without a concerted effort on our part. Yes, it’s those of us who know better that have to make it better.
Yep, a nasty F’ing responsibility. That we can’t dish off on anyone but ourselves.
For my part and to conclude, I’m trying to continue to find a way to make it a little easier to swallow. Not just for myself but for anyone willing to try. Whether that individual is tagged with a label that has traditionally been outside of acceptable for society or one deep within in the system perpetuating this shitshow. If you are willing to try, I’m willing to help you.
The best simple advice I can offer is a course and a community called Autonomy. It’s a rough world alone and many times the system creates the situation or circumstance where one who is trying to dig through the BS might find themselves feeling like they are alone in this monumental struggle… but that is another illusion. Another line of bullshit I can assure you of… don’t be discouraged!
Less bullshit is possible!
There! My gift to you, the reader. Hope. Hopefully it put a smile on your face at some point.
Merry fucking Christmas!
There’s so much bullshit in that statement I could go on for weeks.
Even the words have been contaminated by bullshit is the short explanation.
But let’s focus on the “money” part for brevity’s sake.
Ignorance of the illusion of money is a big part of how so much bullshit has gotten and continues to be produced. “Money” or what most people call money is actually something as best as I can explain it with these bullshit words, is a one world religion that unites us all in this world of bullshit.
I don’t say that lightly or without conviction. But at the same time, even with all the life lessons, all the books I’ve read, and all the time and intense conversations I’ve had with those with expertise,
I could be wrong, and it could be even worse.
But believe it or not, there’s also a chance it could actually get much simpler.
In anycase, I’m trying to stick to my earlier assertion… I’m trying hard to deliver… no bullshit!
Money does paper over many glaring signals and red flags that could otherwise lead us to greener pastures and/or the difficult realization that continuing to swim in the bullshit isn’t going to eventually end without a concerted effort on our part. Yes, it’s those of us who know better that have to make it better.
Yep, a nasty F’ing responsibility. That we can’t dish off on anyone but ourselves.
For my part and to conclude, I’m trying to continue to find a way to make it a little easier to swallow. Not just for myself but for anyone willing to try. Whether that individual is tagged with a label that has traditionally been outside of acceptable for society or one deep within in the system perpetuating this shitshow. If you are willing to try, I’m willing to help you.
The best simple advice I can offer is a course and a community called Autonomy. It’s a rough world alone and many times the system creates the situation or circumstance where one who is trying to dig through the BS might find themselves feeling like they are alone in this monumental struggle… but that is another illusion. Another line of bullshit I can assure you of… don’t be discouraged!
Less bullshit is possible!
There! My gift to you, the reader. Hope. Hopefully it put a smile on your face at some point.
Merry fucking Christmas!
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