In contemplating the dilemma of how to avoid being something other than what one is not, it is often useful for the individual to first realize what one actually is. The state of being for an individual is crucial in facing this dilemma, and unfortunately most homo sapiens spend the lion's share of their lives either attempting to uncover the truth of their state of being, or being completely disillusioned as to the truth of their state of being due to untruths they inevitably tell themselves and one another.

If one were to describe or define oneself in terms of a political or religious context, say for example phrases like, "I am a jew," "I am a conservative republican," "I am a scientologist," or "I do what televangelists say I should do," they are under the impression that theological or political dogma dictates what one is, was, and should be. In point of fact, it is supposed to function in the opposite direction.

Though most religious doctrine is predated by the inception of mankind, mankind tells itself that its gods were born before they were. This gives some human beings a false sense of security that insures their happiness in oblivious ruse. This gives some other human beings a perpetual state of insecurity and fear, that some god they can't detect by any of their own senses actually has senses with which to detect them. Even further, this gives many human beings a sense of self-importance, that as large and grandiose a universe they exist in, and as small and insignificant as they are in comparison to this vast universe, somewhere out there, the creator of said universe and His/Her/Its close circle of friends actually spend time discussing every thought and deed by said individual human being. Deep down this gives each human being the illusion that they are as fascinating to some omniscient force, as Hollywood celebrities are fascinating to the rest of the civilized world, with the possible exception of course for those human beings more interested in sports. Like politics or religion, sports is also a contextual concept which contains oblivious ruses and delusions of thought which many human beings waste their lives utilizing for self-definition, but is slightly more entertaining.

Once one determines all the things in one's life that parade themselves as what one is, one can slowly dissect away all those things to determine what one is not. One is not just a democrat. One is not just an aetheist. One is not just a dick. One is not just a poseur. One is not just a disgruntled english teacher with low wages. After this list of false definitors is detected and excised from the equation, one is left with the reality of what one actually is. Many human beings, when attempting to avoid being something other than what they are not, stop contemplating the dillemma at this point, because without all the excised variables, the summation of the equation will most certainly come down to zero: nothing. This is not an enjoyable discovery to embark upon, to realize that one is nothing.

Furthermore when one realizes this, one also realizes that in order to avoid being something other than what one is not, if one is in fact nothing, then one is endeavoring to avoid being something other than what one is, which is nothing, which means one is 'nothing' trying to be 'something,' which is right where you started. Isn't it?

So it's better to pretend all those pointless definitors that mask the fact one is nothing actually matter, and that one already is something, so that when one attempts to be something other than what one is not, one is then something attempting to be nothing. This is much easier to achieve, and fashionably zen. So, one can comfort oneself with this simplicity, in that one is already half way to achieving this goal, thus making one a winner rather than a loser.

Congratulations, and don't forget to vote.

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