Life Sucks, Then You Die

Q: Why does anyone, do anything? I mean, when you think about it, why do we do anything, why do I speak for example, why do I write on nodes?
A: Recognition, acceptance. People do things so they can feel accepted, wanted, like they have worth. People also do things for material gains.

Example:
I tell jokes. I am sarcastic when I make these jokes and often am a, to give the technical name, a smartass. People sometimes say that I am nice, considerate, and very funny. However, do they ever consider the people who are the ‘butt’ of these jokes I tell? Not all of the jokes I tell are pointed at people, certainly not, but some are. Some is enough. I tell these jokes so I feel comfortable with myself by ‘lowering’ the people around me, and so I feel accepted by flashing my fast wit.

Q: If that is true, why have people acted selflessly? Why have people occasionally given their lives for their companions?
A: Oh, such as the people who died of the Donner Party? Oh, not them, but some other instant I’m sure. Well, one main fact about people is that they want to be remembered. What better way to be remembered then to give your most valuable possession, your life, for those around you. Score! You are on your way to being remembered. That would be some people have died ‘giving’ their life, for no reason, the problem could have been solved in other ways besides someone losing their life.

Q: So, for example, why am I writing on nodes? Don’t I have something better to be doing? A: Well, I, for one, am not a good person for answering this. I spent all freshman year playing on a MUD, and only stopped playing because the game shut down. (I had a level 64 channie I had tooled items with a theme and my air flow hit a whopping 74 before it maxed out. Just about to get guilded). But that’s another story. Well, sure, we all have something applicable we could be doing. When I was on the MUD, I worked, I did things that would only advance my character. So, right now I should be learning a new language (several actually), studying for next year, working out, getting a job, preparing for the future. Only I’m not. I’m writing for an Internet ‘node’, which has no real world purpose, to earn the ‘respect’ of people I do not know. In reality, I am frightened by the people who have 657 write-ups, I think that is scary, how about talking to friends, or family, or someone, but I am certainly not one to stress this, I am as bad as any, in other ways though.

We all want to be loved, and accepted, but when you come down to it, everything we do is selfish and calculated. I am such a total loser (Oh, LOOK at my write-ups, I wrote many write-ups yesterday that were stupid, pointless, and insulting to the purpose of Everything2.com, and made sure they didn’t appear on the new write-up list. I wanted to become level two for petty revenge, so I could downvote those who displeased me. Of course, my well versed and carefully planned node on downvoting got many downvotes, and this one will also, I’m sure.)

It may become easy for some people to look over all of what I said previously, and just say ‘Humanity has achieved greatness’. Okay. That’s great, so a word humanity made up with no real set definition. We can work with that, here we go…

Greatness: Something a species can achieve once they have done all of the following at least once: Kill three hundred or more of another species. Create impersonal weapons of mass destruction, able to destroy half the world in seconds. Destroy an entire geographic area (i.e. ruin a mountain face, destroy a river). Forever damage the world that gives the species life (i.e. destroy the O-zone layer). Exploit the earth and other species on the earth for gain of the species in question.

I could have added a lot more, you know it, and I know it. So I guess we have achieved greatness, huh?

Q: But what about all the good things humanity has done? We have saved many species, made beautiful things in nature (Mount Rushmore), created beautiful art(Starry Night), beautiful music, wonderful technology
A: Well, first off. We destroyed a mountain to make Mount Rushmore, and in any case, no matter what type of thing we made, we in all likelihood made a query for the stone, thus efacing the land, and then ruining the land again by placing that monument in the middle of what was a beautiful field, forest, etc. Secondly, all those so called ‘beautiful’ things? Why are they considered beautiful? One man (it was a man, you ladies, sorry, but you women didn’t matter till recently when males found out that oppressing people was ‘wrong’, anyway), a long time ago, made something. A score for an opera, a painting, whatever. Then, somebody saw that creation, and wanted recognition as the first to ‘appreciate’ it for it’s ‘true’ value. They said it was great. The idea that this creation was great caught on like wildfire, then, suddenly, it was a masterpiece. But it wasn’t a masterpiece originally, someone had to say it was. It was only an opinion. Now it is generally accepted that these things were ‘wonderful’. That means jack. An opinion is all, every culture has it’s own expectations, it’s own beliefs on what is beautiful. So these masterpieces are nothing except the results of a conformist culture. Sure, I think Van Gogh is great, and Mozart is absolutely fantastic. But I can’t help but wonder if I only believe these things because I, deep down inside, am a conformist. Of course, on the outside I like to fancy myself a nonconformist. Doesn’t every teenager? But when you come down to it, no one is, by being a nonconformist people are trying to be seen as different and ‘cool’. They say ‘to hell with this, I don’t care what you think’, and that is ‘cool’. By being ‘cool’, it is being accepted, which means it is conformity at it’s best.

I’m tired, way too tired. The point of this stupid node being? Well, obviously I am just trying to grab at attention, I want to be accepted, so I write a node so everyone will love me. Or maybe they will feel sorry for me. Or maybe they will think it’s stupid, but that means someone will feel sorry for me. Score! I have finally done what is required to be human, make a selfish effort to be accepted. Be accepted for who I am? Certainly not, what do you think I am, crazy?

And of course, we all know by now, that people work so they can get money, so they can get a nice apartment/house, so they can get a husband/wife, so they can procreate. Some people don’t do this because of mental conditions or just not wanting to, being able to. I live in Texas, and as a child I heard, and still here, many horribly racist jokes about Mexican Americans. I am a quarter Puerto Rican, which is almost nothing compared to full-blooded Hispanics. But I still take pride in the fact that I am part minority. Do I say anything about those jokes? No. I conform, I don’t stand up for what I believe in. Now, in High School, it is ‘cool’ to be anti-conformist so of course, I can say ‘I can’t believe the phrase ‘Indian Giving’, that is so horrible.’ or can protest against our school banning camouflaged clothing. I’m anti-conformist now! I’m cool! Yeah! Life Sucks, Then You Die.