Society

[Other shoe]

Why do I care what other's think? Society made it this way. People ask "what do you do?" instead of who are you. We are hunter gatherers, not social spectacles. The more pressure there is upon us towards our monetary value, the more we become stressed. Stress breeds anxiety and the need to feel valued. We are not measured by how much we make but by who we are. People risk their lives in desperate countries for the cause not the paycheck. Anxiety increases in the US because of this belief that if we are not rich we are moochers. The government wastes more money than we can make so who is the moocher?

Anyway, vent over, I feel more anxious the more our world turns towards that materialistic dream. I love nature and watch in disbelief as we destroy it. I love my wife and dogs yet worry what is in their food. There is a time and place to worry and right now the focus should be on things we can solve. Life really is short, we all have a purpose and right to live as the individuals we are. To worry about nothing only robs us of the precious gift of time we have. I do not like what is going on in the world these days, but I must take the time to enjoy what is left and let the haters wallow in their hate.

[salvator here]

I really needed to read this right now. I'm feeling the weight of the world beating me down further and further, and feel as I just can't get up and stay on my feet. Society is messed up in so many ways and I don't "fit in" and don't want to. That being said, I stuck caring what others will think of me, and trying to mold myself accordingly. This was never me - I've always been a lone wolf and a "free thinker". But its not easy to go it alone against society.

Haters will hate and try to poison us, so how to not allow that hate to make us bitter - I suppose that is the key.

I need to remember this posting when I feel as I'm getting caught up in the madness.

Take care and good luck!

[Other shoe]

Salvator, you are brave. The beauty of your response is that you mentioned not fitting in. Do you really want to? The best part of my life, anxiety aside, is being different, this in turn makes me interesting. My wife loves me for it. There is not a coworker I can remember who didn't ask me for advice because they trusted me. I am not another sheep in the herd and you aren't either. The important point is that you are real, not a poser, not a hater, not a materialistic owner of false possessions. Being a "lone wolf" is the dream of many, they just don't have the guts. They follow the sheep. Keep pushing them off and and never mold yourself. You are unique and have nothing to hide.

[salvator here]

Thank you so much :)

[Ponder]

Oh how great it is to be abnormal in a normal society.

[sawman556]

I've always felt I should have been born 100 years earlier, if that makes any sense.

[salvator here]

What really is "normal"? The "normal" people were bad examples growing up, and nothing at all I desire to become. I feel as I'm the odd man out most times and I feel like I'm not easily "programed".

[Other shoe]

What is normal? I guess it means ordinary. I suppose this means a person conforms to laws and rules. I can tell you what a normal weather pattern is but not a "normal" person. I also think the term changes over time. In the mediaeval days raping and pillaging and murder were all normal. Not so much now, although it still goes on. We are all different in our own ways so who would want to be normal? My parents were considered normal from the outside but they were failures as parents. Different parts of us can be normal-I pay my taxes and obey the law. But I am abnormal because of my anxiety and depression and many other quirks I have. I don't like the pain I sometimes go through, but if being normal means I am just a speck in a crowd then they can have it! I have found being the odd man out rewarding many times. There are other times it is difficult. I suppose it depends on what kind of "normal" people you are hanging around with. I think we have way to many laws these days and too much comparison to who is better than who. Who decides this anyway? A great writer may be a drunk, a fantastic artist might be insane, a politician might be a desperate narcissist,(how many of them are there?) My point is I guess, that we are normal if we don't harm or steal or purposely try to inflict pain without remorse. Other than that there is nobody normal I know.