Taking it a step further...
I think Fred hit the nail on the head on that last post. But, I want to take it a step further.
How did we get to this "victim" mindset?
-Now, it's been my experience that people usually tend to spout what they think they know and that's what I'm about to do, so please take it with a grain of salt and don't be too harsh :o) But also let me know if you think I'm a nut... I could really use some feedback on this one.-
It is my opinion that we have taken the victim mindset simply because we have been conditioned to believe that there is no reason for us to ever die. I'm tempted to say that we have been conditioned to believe that we should never die a senseless death, but even that is debatable in the present climate.
Why would I say such a thing? Consider this: Gun control; Obesity; Teenage drivers; Secondhand smoke (which I'm still working on that article THC!) Asbestos; Pollution of the water, air and land; Terrorism. I could go on and on, but these seem to be the main focus in today’s heated arguments.
What do all of these issues have in common? They all say that with more control, you won't have to die. That, when coupled with new medical breakthroughs would lead one to believe that we, very plausibly, can live forever.
It's just not so. We all die. Whether we want to believe it or not, we all die.
While it’s true that most people realize this for themselves, it’s hard for them to realize that it will happen to someone close to them. Losing a loved one or hearing about a seemingly senseless death and knowing that it could have been a loved one, can be very painful. It's suppose to be. Our compassion is a big part of what makes us human. But because it is so painful, it's probably the number one thing we try to avoid.
People seem to think (and rightly so in the advocate's opinion) that by pointing the finger, these painful emotions will be relieved a bit. And that by taking action against the person they're pointing fingers at, they are doing their civic duty of protecting the next person. While noble in it's intent, this is a flawed way of thinking because no matter what you do, death will come for us.
My advice? If you see a problem, be an example of what you think the solution should be, but don't try to control someone else's actions. No one likes to be controlled, and it's not your job to do so. So relax. Enjoy today. Enjoy your time with those around you. Don’t be afraid to reminisce about yesterday, and by all means, plan for your future. Just realize while doing so that your (and everybody else’s) future is not a guarantee.
How did we get to this "victim" mindset?
-Now, it's been my experience that people usually tend to spout what they think they know and that's what I'm about to do, so please take it with a grain of salt and don't be too harsh :o) But also let me know if you think I'm a nut... I could really use some feedback on this one.-
It is my opinion that we have taken the victim mindset simply because we have been conditioned to believe that there is no reason for us to ever die. I'm tempted to say that we have been conditioned to believe that we should never die a senseless death, but even that is debatable in the present climate.
Why would I say such a thing? Consider this: Gun control; Obesity; Teenage drivers; Secondhand smoke (which I'm still working on that article THC!) Asbestos; Pollution of the water, air and land; Terrorism. I could go on and on, but these seem to be the main focus in today’s heated arguments.
What do all of these issues have in common? They all say that with more control, you won't have to die. That, when coupled with new medical breakthroughs would lead one to believe that we, very plausibly, can live forever.
It's just not so. We all die. Whether we want to believe it or not, we all die.
While it’s true that most people realize this for themselves, it’s hard for them to realize that it will happen to someone close to them. Losing a loved one or hearing about a seemingly senseless death and knowing that it could have been a loved one, can be very painful. It's suppose to be. Our compassion is a big part of what makes us human. But because it is so painful, it's probably the number one thing we try to avoid.
People seem to think (and rightly so in the advocate's opinion) that by pointing the finger, these painful emotions will be relieved a bit. And that by taking action against the person they're pointing fingers at, they are doing their civic duty of protecting the next person. While noble in it's intent, this is a flawed way of thinking because no matter what you do, death will come for us.
My advice? If you see a problem, be an example of what you think the solution should be, but don't try to control someone else's actions. No one likes to be controlled, and it's not your job to do so. So relax. Enjoy today. Enjoy your time with those around you. Don’t be afraid to reminisce about yesterday, and by all means, plan for your future. Just realize while doing so that your (and everybody else’s) future is not a guarantee.
posted by RT at 10:47 AM
9 Comments:
We never know when our card is gonna be pulled. We can only do things to improve the quality of our life, but there is no guarantee that we will be tacking on many years of life for doing it.
Everything these days seems to cause cancer, or one week it does and then weeks later that is retracted. We certainly can't live on air alone.
Have you improved this blog? I don't remember it looking this good, maybe I was asleep when I was looking at it. Anyway...
"What do all of these issues have in common? They all say that with more control, you won't have to die. "
Isn't that so? When a paper says that smoking 'increases mortality rates' James Taranto will crack "more than 100%?". That seemes to be part of the issue with Malpractice suits. Doctors aren't gods (despite what many of them think), they can't make you live forever, but they get punished for it anyway.
Mike: I think the biggest cause of cancer is all the stress we put on our bodies, trying to avoid cancer. It's insane! Or, maybe I'm just insane... I vote on the world being insane because I'm the most sane person I know. (Other than you guys, of course :o) )
Evil Sandmich: Maybe you don't remember this blog because you don't usually come to this blog, lol. I noticed that you Finally changed your links to include both mine and Jill's blogs, instead of just Jill's.
Or were you referring to the tit shot?
OK, I didn't get the comment about James Taranto because I don't think I know who he is, but your point about malpractice is a good one! We all know that doctors are not gods, but we still hold them accountable.
What's up with that?
The last paragraph is the most meaningful to me. Teenagers (well, all of us, actually) complain about everything. Everything.
The toughest job I have is to edumacate teenagers to ensure they learn that complaining is fine, as long as the next sentence suggests a solution. Don’t have a solution? Don’t complain.
You've provided a very good analysis on the victim mentality issue; I've never thought of it that way. Let me pile on with an additional few thoughts.
I think the present generation is learning how to be a victim in the most important place: the home. They’re not learning accountability.
A few examples of how people turn to victims:
1. It’s the teacher's fault the child gets a low grade. Never mind the student is a disruptive force, copies projects word for word from the internet, and rarely attends school.
2. Your child fails to turn in a project worth 200 points; as a parent you feel it's best to write a note to the teacher explaining Uncle Johnny died. (He’s already died twice, according to the notes I’ve collected.)
The other major issue? Lawyers willing to sue for anything. An example:
Sue the department store you tried to burglarize because you hurt yourself while breaking through the glass. (True story!)
It all begins in the home. And, with so many broken homes, it's a challenge to ensure the accountability message is heard.
People these days rarely take responsibility for their own actions, choosing to blame everyone and everything around them as if they do no wrong. For the criminals that sue their victims after hurting themselves in the middle of their crime...I am of the mind that if someone breaks into my home I am gonna kill em, save myself the aggrivation of their stupidity in court. I have heard of cases where the criminal broke his leg breaking into a house through a sky light and he sued and won; another broke his leg hopping a fence and sued and won cause the fence was over the state code for fence height. Thats why I say kill the bastards. One less pain in the ass to put up with in thsi world.
LOL Fred, "edumacate". Boy, does that bring back memories.
If you think about it, it's no wonder that we've been conned into becoming victims. A lot of people are making a LOT of money and getting a LOT of fame by telling us we don't have to be accountable. And unless we have the time and energy to check up on each and every thing, it's easy to get caught up the hype.
"It all goes back to the upbringin'." Fred, I know you're thinking more about how it affects the kids because you're a teacher and you see that everyday (during the school year anyway ;o) ) but if the mentality is being passed down from the parents... Where did the parents get it from?
Vavoom: ... The "stress causes cancer" statement was more of a humorous response to a very serious problem. It was probably in poor taste, and I apologize. I know that cancer is caused by chemical and genetic influences, but with all the information available to the general public, it's hard to tell just which influences we need to watch out for. It can really be overwhelming.
Entitlement! Oh hell yeah. That definitely plays a part. What I find amazing is the double-edged sword that entitlement can be. But maybe we should leave that for another post, lol.
So ya like this post, eh? :o) I lure you guys into my web yet.
Oh! And BTW...
Don't get used to me supplying solutions. (I only gave one this time because I'm thinking about putting it on my website.) While I think I have some pretty good ones, I find that stating them discourages others from trying to figure out their own... Which may be better than mine!
I do think a lot of how our society views life is at issue. For thousands of years people have believed they were blessed to be alive, to have food on their plates and to have a healthy family. Religion did a lot to hone this in as we would have someone to thank for all these things. But, we now fight mother nature with renewed vigor. Plastic surgeries, organ transplants and synthetic drugs have become commonplace and even expected. We expect all these things to work and complain when they fail. We really don't appreciate the little things anymore... like a lifespan of 35 years. Damn, I'm getting close.
Sounds like you're saying that we've been spoiled, Martin. Which sounds pretty true!
Check this out:
We've been coddled and spoiled to the point that we feel entitled to have exactly what we want, when we want it. But that still wasn't enough (it's never enough, is it?) So then we started forcing those perceived rights onto everyone else.
i.e.: I'm entitled to live forever, so now I'm going to force you, through legislation, to live forever also.
I think we're really getting somewhere here!
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