Misery Loves Company

{size:12pt}{font:arial}Ever notice how you are compelled to do the right thing, but the ri

Ever notice how you are compelled to do the right thing, but the right thing is never right for you?

Why is that? Who is giving you this mandate? What's in it for them? Why do we as sentient human beings, individuals, collecitvely choose to do what we know isn't right for us? Why do we succumb to the pressure? What is really going on here?

First, we have a gut feeling. The gut feeling is usually right. Second, we have a lack of knowledge, ignorance. No one should make a decision under ignorant circumstances. And yet, we often go against our gut feelings, and in ignorance, make a choice that is not in our best interest.

There was a time in my life where I despised psychology. In some ways I still do. As much as I can't stand Freud, he is right. And the basis is, we are stupid animals. Whereas Jungian puts us on a higher plane of existence. We should all strive for that.

If we do not, we end up doing things we really shouldn't be doing. Whether it's getting into a marriage we shouldn't get into, having a child we can't afford or are not prepared for, or getting into debt we don't truly need to get into, we continue to do stupid shit.

Impatience, societal norms, conformity, the illusion of necessity, are just some of the forms this false demand takes. We must not fall for it.

Often times we are compelled to do things in life we do not want to do. That is not what I am talking about here. We may not want to take out the trash, but we must. We may not want to clean the kitchen, but we ought to. Now we may not want to work a certain time or day, and often we do anyway. This one hits that sweet spot, that gray area where we must really choose.

What are we going to do? Do we take the job knowing it's not right for us? Do we work the hours we don't want to work because we have to? How did we get here? Bad choice after bad choice, that's how. It becomes more and more difficult to free one's self from the burden of society when one is compelled to perform.

Society no doubt has its advantages, so we are not referring to abandoning society altogether. We instead are focused on improving it, refining it, tweaking it, to work for us. What are we genuinely compelled to do? Why must we work? We all must have some purpose to life, or in life, whatever you prefer. We can't just sit in bed all day. Well, we can, but that eventually gets old. So does TV, Instagram, et al., and we find ourselves wanting.

And in wanting, we perform, and this is key. Do we perform for us, or for someone else? There will be people, I will refer to them as suckers, that insist that you do something, anything, but sit around and do nothing. They love to give you their advice, because it has worked out so well for them in the past and you can see the results right in front of you. I want you to remember this about those suckers; misery love company.