SOPA and other internet laws being established may not be so bad after all. Sure, pirating and such will be shut down etc etc, but those seem to be the only consumeristic concerns that a majority of the public have. By monitoring websites, the government may be able to gain a foothold on dealings between drugs, trafficking, other crimes and such. It doesn’t really make sense that laws that piss everyone off would be put out to restrict something as petty as pirating, but this could also become a Big Brother-esque sort of thing as well. Solutions, solutions…
It’s crazy to imagine how different and unique a culture can be. That being around controlled influences your entire life can actually condition you to limit your possibilities; to consider your passions and options based solely on what you’ve already encountered. As i’m seeing and believing my parents as more human rather than beings with everything figured out, it’s making more sense that there’s no one really exceptional, people who are supposedly geniuses or higher-tiered than others are just obsessed with weird things that just happen to be a gifting within the social-norm during that moment of time.
i want to surround myself with people who aren’t afraid to gamble and take chances, those who aren’t afraid to toss career opportunities or security to see what else is out there. maybe i’ll just end up losing all my friends and die young.
Real empathy is about being able to identify with the feelings of everyone, which is really hard. It’s about granting legitimacy and validity to those that don’t seem to deserve it. The medical industry gets this. A very lovely nurse once explained to me that rule #1 of the healthcare business is that you just can’t tell a patient that they’re overreacting. Whatever pain or anxiety they’re feeling is completely real to them, even if it appears routine or unsubstantial to you. Thus, doctors and nurses everywhere are patiently nodding their heads, taking as much complaining and abuse as they can, and doing their best to mitigate suffering and find solutions. If there’s a better metaphor for true empathy in a broader sense, I can’t think of it.
True empathy requires work. Rolling your eyes or beeping the horn in traffic is actually effortless and inconsequential. Being patient and letting the gazillions of asshole drivers out there have their way — that’s hard work. When a friend needs empathy, “let me know what I can do,” or “I’ve been there before,” doesn’t mean shit, because it requires no effort or understanding. Unless you’re Mother Theresa, empathy should feel like work, even if it’s work you want. Making a joke, buying a little gift, cooking a meal, or just listening to complaints and acknowledging that, yes, everyone is perfectly entitled to their own feelings… that’s the work of empathy, and it makes a difference.Their feelings and beliefs might be ridiculous and misguided, in my opinion, but they remain a simple product of life experiences, random biological happenings, relationships, education, and so on — just like you and me. So who is more real?
