So, a while back, I made a promise to start getting more personal in these blogs. When I first made that statement, I wasn't entirely sure what I meant by that. That post took a lot out of me, both mentally and emotionally, and I had hit a brick wall when it came to following up.
I don't think that I'm going to have that issue anymore.
What I want to talk about tonight is something that I didn't realize was on my mind until having a great conversation with two really good friends - one of which has a blog of his own.
There are many people out there who say that they "don't care." I feel that the term is misused almost every time that it exits someone's mouth-hole. Contextually, anyway. There are four kinds of people who say this phrase: A) They don't understand what it really means; B) Someone who is in complete denial of a situation and wants nothing to do with it; C) Those who are choosing to abstain; and D) Those who really mean it.
In person A, we have the type of person who claims that they don't care about anything at all. Out of the options, these this is the one that I honestly can't stand. Sad thing is, most of us are this person, especially when we're teenagers. This is the type who wants to appear to be cool in the eyes of others, and therefore wants an air of mystery about them, or perhaps they want their opinion to seem superior.
Most of the time, they're just stupid.
These people are lying to themselves, because deep down, they honestly do care. They are the kind of person who seems to have an awful lot of opinions about a world they claim to not give a crap about. They are arrogant, hot-headed, and just all-around neanderthals (as far as this writer is concerned) who don't know what it really means to not care about anything at all.
You people who do this need to wake up. Do you have any idea of the low that you have to be to reach the point of not caring? I've been there - and I'll go more into that later - and it ain't pretty.
With person B, they don't inspire wroth more than they do pity in my eyes. These are the people who, when approached about something about themselves or someone close to them, they make a subconscious choice to just tune it out. You can talk to them about it until you are blue in the face, but it just never sinks in. They tell you that they "don't care," and it's because they're not willing to face whatever it is that you're talking to them about. After all, it's easier feign indifference than it is to admit you're wrong.
People who fall into category C are interesting. These are the kinds of people who make an active choice to not care. They are the kinds of people who won't read the news, for example (one that was presented to me tonight, as a matter of fact), because they don't like the effect that it has on them. They keep up on current events though what people at work or home are talking about, and maybe sneak a peek at headlines while in line at a convenience store.
Then you have the folks in category D. They are few and far between, and there's a reason for that.
To reach this level, you have to have hit such a spot in your life that you are at the absolute rock-bottom. Any lower, and you start getting into Hell itself. At this level, you have ceased to care about anything at all.
At first, it starts with not caring about what's going on around you. The only thing that matters is you. People become nothing more than playthings, and are there only to be used for whatever you can get. When the bridge is burned, who cares? Certainly not you.
Shortly after that, you hit the level where you stop caring about your personal health and hygiene. After all, it doesn't really matter. You're just going to get dirty and die in the end anyway, so what's the point?
Eventually, you get to the point where stop caring about everything entirely, and suddenly the idea of death becomes really appealing. That's.... not a point I ever want to visit again.
As I mentioned before, I was this person at one point in my life. I was addicted to drugs, and making every attempt I could to just absolutely self-destruct. It was not a fun point in my life, and given the chance, I would do it all differently. Every single bit of it.
The people who fall into category A infuriate me so much because they simply do not know what they're talking about, and I hate that they think it's cool. I assure you, folks: it isn't. If you have any bit of empathy whatsoever, you can imagine what it's like to have zero emotion about anything, and realize how scary that really is.
For those of you that don't, just ask someone who does. Maybe they can explain it better than I can.
Most people snap out of their selfishness far before they ever get to that point. They wake up one day and realize what it is that they're doing to themselves, and others. There are people out there who don't, however, and that always ends in complete tragedy.
The point of all of this is that I want a little more thought put behind your words. Think about what you want to say before you say it. Words are powerful, and the effect of them can be awesome, or tragic. Words cut deeper than any knife. They penetrate further than any bullet, and will leave scars worse than the hottest fires.
At the end of the day, we need to learn how to better communicate with each other. We are going around our day-to-day routines, and we mindlessly blurt out powerful phrases like "I don't care," with absolutely no thought as to the meaning behind it.
If you're in category A - and I know for a fact that several of you who will read this are - then you need to just shut up. Stop claiming not to care, when you so obviously do. If you didn't care, then you wouldn't have anything to say about whatever it was that was going on.
If you're in category B, please wake up and realize that people are only talking to you about something for your own good. If you just stop and listen to the things that others have to say about something, you'd be amazed at what you could possibly learn. Don't dismiss something that someone says - especially when it pertains to you - just because you don't want to hear it. Chances are, if you don't want to hear something, it's because you need to hear it.
If you're in category C, then I have no real gripes about you. You just keep on existing. You're at least taking measures to prevent yourself from going off the deep end in life.
I'd say something to category D, but those people wouldn't read this, anyway.
So, the next time that you're about to say that you "don't care," I want you to remember what I've said tonight. I want you to actually think about whatever it is that you supposedly don't care about, and figure out if you really don't care about it, because you simply never know the effect of what your words could have.
If we would all just start saying exactly what we mean to each other, we can start moving forward and making this world a better place. And if not better, at least far more tolerable.
Of course, Dennis Miller said it best: "That's just my opinion. I could be wrong."
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