You always make it about yourself…
until you need to. Then you make it about everyone else. Oh how I have wished to say this to so many people. But, I know it wouldn’t be helpful to them or me. If it doesn’t come from love, don’t go there. I remind myself that a lot. There is ONLY fear and love. I work at not judging people (including myself) every day. The best tool I have to do this is by honestly owning that there are very few things anyone has done that I haven’t either done or thought of doing to a greater of lesser degree. Wow…that’s real. And real feels good because it’s truth and truth really does set us free. We’re imprisoned by our own minds. We exhaust ourselves trying to become something we’re not while not even knowing who we are. If I’m approached about someone else’s conflict, the first thing I ask them is what was their part in it? I usually get dumbfounded looks. Maybe, a comment or two about themselves, but then the conversation immediately goes back to how the other person is wrong. This is a dead end street and a complete waste of time.
There’s a news show that starts with “The Spin Stops Here.” I use that on myself. No more twists and turns to paint a picture about myself that makes me look good. Or, I should say…I think makes me look good. The people whose opinions I value would see right through it. I got my first glimpses of real happiness when I started seeking wisdom which, of course, begins with truth.
There are so many lost people on this planet. And the United States seems to be one of the worst places. We are 5% of the population and we use 30% of the resources. And, as a whole, we are lost and miserable. Too many Americans spend money they don’t have to try to look better than others. Ego, ego, ego. Their insides are screwed up so they want to make their outsides look good. This is not how it’s supposed to be. We are supposed to help each other. Help, not enable. One of my personal rules is to never do more for someone than they are willing to do for themselves. But I don’t write them off either. Currently, they may not be in the solution, but I’ve been in that same place. Someday they may be in the solution and if so, I want to be there to support them. I constantly remind myself that we come into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing.
The social climbing has to stop. It is a joke. If you are a social climber you should go look in the mirror and laugh at yourself. Think about it. You are better than this. We are here to serve. Social climbing is all about ego and the love of money. Ego is insecurity. Period. 1% of the population controls 96% of the money. If you’re not in that 1% and you’re trying to act like you are…you are playing a joke on yourself. The 1% doesn’t have to climb. They are at the top floor. Your elevator doesn’t even stop there. Get over yourself. And what’s on that “top floor” anyway? Are you really that interested? Do something productive with your life. Be of service. Have honest relationships. If you’re materialistic, you’re insecure. If you spend your days thinking about what others think of you and how they must be impressed with your new car (that you probably leased and still can’t afford ), go back to the mirror. Put life on as a loose garmet and laugh at yourself. Stop taking life so seriously. What you’re doing is ridiculous. Free yourself by finding yourself then share what you’ve found. It’s exhausting trying to “keep up with the Jones” and it’s funny. If you didn’t think God had a sense of humor, you can now be sure he does. Be different. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. And different is good. Never be a sheep. Sheep are always followers, NEVER leaders.
When I finally got outside of myself, I started watching people. This includes listening. By doing this, I figured out a few things. I look for people’s “God”. Who (or usually what) do they worship? Are they 400 pounds? Their God is food. Are they social climbers? Their God is money. Are they alcoholics? Their God is alcohol. People like to act smart too. But smart isn’t wise. And the smartest people on the planet suffer. Genius is a blessing and a curse. I had a cousin who died young from years of drug abuse. He was brilliant. He had an IQ of almost 190. He was also miserable. He did some amazing things with computers. Things you and I use everyday. Geniuses suffer for us. It is a blessing and a curse. People trying to act smart haven’t experienced real geniuses. If you ever hear someone bragging about being in Mensa then you know they’re not an Einstein type genius. They may not even be a genius. Roughly, it takes a score of 140 on an IQ test to be considered a genius. One if fifty people qualify for Mensa. You can join Mensa by passing a test which requires an IQ of about 132 to do so. These are smart people, but they’re not that smart. About one in 30,000 can pass the test to join the Promethius Society. About one in a billion, yes billion, can join the Giga Society which is the highest IQ club on the planet. It takes an IQ of about 196 to be able to pass one of the tests to join. There are just a handful of members. Rick Rosner has an IQ of 192 and used to be a bouncer in a bar. The illusion of a high IQ has become an ego quest for a lot of people. This goes back to their elevator not stopping at the top floor. Your IQ can go up and down, but not that much. Basically, you’re born with what you’ve got so be grateful for it.
Happiness does not come from how smart a person is. It comes from wisdom which comes from truth which starts with honesty. I often look at “Selfies” on the internet and try to imagine the person preparing and taking the photo. And to me, “Selfies” do not have to be of the actual person. I have seen them of possessions too. On Facebook, an acquaintance of mine has such photos. One is a photo taken from his tablet while driving. It shows the state he’s arriving into on vacation. And…it shows the Mercedes Benz hood ornament which was the motive behind the photo. Of course this person would never admit this, not even to himself. Photos of his house always show the swimming pool. These type of people are always trying to impress people with money. They don’t have any “real money” or they wouldn’t be acting this way. My Facebook friend has a mortgage and leased his Mercedes Benz. Hello. The bible definitely got this one right, “The love of money is the root of all evil”. The love of money, not money.