September 29, 2007
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Grumble, grumble, grr-r !
Sometimes people say things that I disagree with. I'm definitely not the be all and end all when it comes to expounding on philosophy, but sometimes people say things, sort of glibly, that I don't think they've really thought about.
Recently, in a Xang-versation about murder and mayhem in the world, a few people noted that we humans continually walk a fine line between good and evil. Certainly not all of us? I believe that most of us reside on the side of good, even damn good! Yes, we sometimes swear, we cheat on our taxes, we don't call our mothers, we drive over the speed limit, and we may have even had a few drinks when we do. We think impure thoughts and maybe even some evil ones, but do we skip over that line and actually do evil? You know, and must admit, that there are lots and lots and maybe even big bunches of kind, generous thoughtful people who would never actually do evil. You might even be one of them. In my day to day life I don't think I could take a comfortable breath if I thought that every person was struggling with staying on the good side of the line. This reminds me of a story about our well-behaved kid, when she was little, little and teaching herself to read - - she would tell people that she didn't get into trouble because she was raised with "de skip line" (di scip line). {I love it when things in the Universe go "click"}
One of the other things (of many), that some people say, is that dying is part of living. This one, much to my despair, I feel I can speak to with too much experience. I have had the dubious honor of being with a few really close people when they died. And I'm here to tell you that dying is much different than Life. I was also with these people in the days, weeks and months before they passed, and it made me nuts when visitors would refer to the person as dying. arrgh! I understand the semantics of it (picky-picky), and that folks need an expression to bandy around, but........where is that damn couch, I know it was around here someplace. Anyhoo, for me there is only Life or dead. And for those who glibly espouse the 'we're dying from the day we're born' theory........well, good luck with that. Me, I've been living since the day I was born, and I plan to continue.
I suppose I could think of more expressions, but, frankly, I'm dying for a nice Amaretto on the rocks while I stretch out on that couch and think evil thoughts - - -or not. Ta.
Comments (5)
I know I'm not one skip from evil doings. I hadn't really thought about it before but since I've never done anything truly evil and I don't think about doing evil things, that must make me a good person by default right? Now I'm not saying that I'm not capable of it, possibly we all are under the right circumstances, but I certainly don't feel any type of inner struggle to stay on the path I live daily.
The dying thing....well...I don't know. Do you have an alternative expression to replace "she's dying"? I ask because my aunt and my best friend both have terminal cancer. They both have weeks to a few months left and while they are both still on the side of living(very definitely) what would you say instead of they're dying? They're still living? I suppose that works but to me it doesn't sound any better. I think that your right about living from the day your born, that does sound 10 times better.
No one's perfect... but some people try harder than others lol. I screw up a lot, but I also do a bunch of stuff that I think is really good. There are a lot of ways to look at good and evil... but the most important thing to me is whether a person is at least TRYING to do right. Intention doesn't make things better in itself, but it counts.
As far as death goes, I just think of it as part of the rules of the game. It's another one of those things that we can't change... but can learn from. Knowing people who are limited or in decline makes me appreciate my youth and health a lot more now.
IL: Most of the time I would talk about how they were feeling, what they'd been doing,and keep as positive and hopeful as I realistically could.You can say what they have, what the prognosis is, what's being done. Seriously, it ain't over 'til it's over and none of us knows when that will be. I may seem fatuous to many, but, oh well, cestmoi!
I didn't think you were being fatuous at all
it's just one of those things that bug you. I understand completely.
One day me and Aunt Pearl were yakking on speaker phone and some people started getting way to...I don't know the word.....solemn, down, depressing, blue.....finally Aunt Pearl said "I ain't dead yet, quit tryin' to bury me." I nearly died laughing and after a shocked silence from that end of the phone the others started laughing too. I think the lesson I learned from that is to take my cues from the person who is ill. What do you think?
hey, i'm not evil!!! I call my mother!!! And sometimes I even read what she writes, har har har.
I remember in AP english, one of the teachers wanted us to write some damn expository essay on the nature of good and evil, based on some ol' brit lit thinger we were assigned to read. I think i made my teacher mad / perplexed when i argued that there's no such thing as evil. The world's too complex and fascinating for something as boring as plain old straight-up evil to survive very long.
Anyhoo. You scolded me before for knowing what i know and sharing it openly, but i'm gonna come out and say I'm pretty sure it's all a long, inconstant, fluctuating transition. We're not as anchored here as we might like to think we are. I, for one, have learned how to go to the desert for walkies and be home in time for supper.
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