I was originally just going to email this to a very good friend, but I figured I may as well put it out there for everyone to see.
Saving money is a pain in the ass. Everyone knows they should do it, but it's so hard. You're saying' "Why not live for the now instead?" Financial planning takes a very sound plan, but in order to follow this plan, you need to get yourself in the right frame of mind to effectively follow it.
Here's the first thing you need to do. Understand that you're not living in the now. You're in debt. You're paying off credit cards, loans (to include student loans & mortgages, along with the required insurance), and contractual obligations (rent, utilities, etc). You are not living for the now, like you defend, but instead are working toward paying for the sins of your financial past.
Once you understand this, you can formulate a correct course of action based on the financial situation you're in. I'm going to propose an unorthodox method of absolving debt. Put it back on the banks by acting in opposition of conventional wisdom. For example, take a look at your debts which can be erased by bankruptcy. The easiest one is credit cards. Because of this, credit cards tend to have the higher interest rates. Instead of paying these off first, you can instead build up your credit limits by utilizing a credit card to pay your bills, and paying a large portion of your credit card balance on time every month.
It's important not to pay your credit card in full every month. In doing this, the bank can not charge you finance charges, and your credit will rise slower. Funneling all of your funds/bills through your credit card will essentially spoof the credit system. Your limits will rise, giving you a better open credit ratio, making your score rise even higher. As your credit limit rises, you can call the bank to renegotiate your interest rates, which means you can make lower payments on your credit card and add more to your savings each month. You're slowly pulling the power away from the bank, and giving it to yourself. You're manually earning interest for yourself while lowering theirs.
After 6 months to a year of this process, you will have your credit card balances up enough to start transferring balances. You can start with your car debt. Transfer the balance of your car loan onto whatever credit card you can, or split the balance. Work with these companies to make it happen. Many will even give you 0% interest for certain timeframes on balance transfers. They will, however push these behind your regular charges. Balances are paid off in order of their interest rates, from high to low. You also now have 1 less payment though.
So let's say your total bills (outside of credit cards) are $1500/month. You have 3 credit cards at a $500 limit per month. In this scenario, you would have to pay the entire balance every month in order to pay off your other bills. In doing this, your bills outside of credit cards are now rolled into your credit cards, making this your full debt. This will take one month of you fully paying off your credit cards in addition to your other bills, however. It's only going to be one month of suffering...30 days...Now after 6 months of doing this and making on time payments, it's time to call your credit card company about raising your credit limit on each card. You can also discuss lowering the interest rates.
Let's say each card is raised to $700. You now have an additional $600 on your credit/balance ratio. In addition, you can lower your payments for each by $10/month, thus leaving a balance, and giving you $30/month to begin saving. You are still paying all of your bills every month with your credit card. Your credit score is also being raised at a quicker rate than when you were paying in full. Even with interest rates, that $10 a month won't hit your credit limit on your credit cards, as long as you do not use them for anything else under any circumstance.
Six months down the road, and you can go back to paying $1500/month again. Your credit limits will be raised to $1000, and your interest rate will be lowered. With the $1500, you are now still floating the same balance to gain interest, but your savings account is also gaining interest. The rate won't be as high, but it will counteract a portion of it. This is when you can start figuring out a way to transfer your car or student loan (whichever is the lowest balance) to your credit cards. Once you've gotten this balance thrown into your credit cards, the balance of your $1500 that was paying that bill is still paying it, but it now only exists as a charge on your credit card.
You're now leaving a balance with 0% interest for one year, and you're paying directly to the balance of one of your other bills, negating it's interest, and thus paying it off faster. You can continue this process until you now have a high credit score, low interest, and tons of available credit. If you do it right, you can eventually encompass all of your bills. At this point, all of your money is only going to 2 places though. You're paying your bank and yourself.
Once you have all of your bills on your credit cards, you have a choice. Continue this streak until you're debt free and drowning in consumerism...or erase your debt. You see, your credit card debt can be erased by either filing bankruptcy or leaving the country. Either option is up to you, really, but as long as you prepare in the manner described above, you will have the breathing room to buy whatever you need. You no longer have rent if you can pay it with your credit card. You can use it to pay anything you need in order to make yourself comfortable through the path you choose.
Think of what it'd be like to be the American living in Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada, South America, Mexico...wherever your heart desires. Think of what you would do if you stayed in the country after having filed bankruptcy. What are you losing/gaining from each? Whichever way you look at it, find your comfort. Then transfer all of the burden back on the people who created it: the financial industry.
About the Author - Brian Penny creates awful music under the name Mr. Versable. He tweets under the name @Versability. He believes in true love, and won't rest until he's found his...oh, and his last blog cost Bank of America a whole lotta dough although not pointing fingers, but the typos weren't his...! Peace and love! haha ;)
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
War...What is it good for...?
I was born and raised in the military. My family has a proud military tradition dating back generations. My entire immediate family has served in the Army, myself included. The only difference between me and my parents/brother is that I never went to war...
It wasn't until recently that I truly understood that fundamental difference. I asked my dad about the Vietnam War when I was a kid learning about it in school. I had seen Platoon and Apocalypse Now, and I was amazed that my father lived through the types of stories I saw on the silver screen.
"What was it like?" I asked him.
He regaled me with stories of marching through the swamps and forests. He explained what it felt like to be ambushed by the Vietcong military. He showed me some of the field manuals, and fed me the MRE field rations. I was excited to hear a first hand account from the man I idolized. My dad was invincible in my eyes, and it was incredible to hear. I asked him every question I could think of to learn as much as possible about what this war was like until finally I reached a question that was too much for him to handle...
"Did you ever kill anybody...?"
The smile suddenly disappeared from his face. There was a look in his eyes I had never seen before. At the time I didn't know what it was, but now I recognize it as a look of repressed anger, guilt, and fear. There was a silence for a few minutes as he decided how to answer this type of question to a curious 8 year old.
Finally he replied, "When 10 people are shooting into a bush, a lot of people died. You don't know whose bullet did it."
I wanted to press him further, but I could tell it wasn't a good idea. Wanting to move on from the awkwardness, I asked, "What was it like coming back?"
He told me about coming back from fighting in the war. When he got off the plane in the airport in his uniform with his platoon, he was so happy to be home. The celebration was short lived, however, because the Vietnam War was not a popular one in the United States. In the airport people spit in his face, called him a baby killer, and one woman even came up and slapped him in the face. I asked him why they did that...did he ever kill any babies? He explained the protests. He told me about how the media portrayed the war. The Vietnam War was the first war that was essentially televised to the entire nation. American civilians were introduced to the reality of war in their homes for the first time since the 1800's. The reactions were strong on all sides.
I could see the rage in his eyes during one story in particular in which Hanoi Jane was allowed to greet the American POW's. The Americans were expressly told by the Vietcong guards they are not to communicate any messages to her during the visit. Each prisoner secretly handed her a note, some with letters to their family, and some with information about the prison so to assist with the rescue mission. At the end of the line, she gave the notes to the guards and said she didn't feel comfortable taking part in espionage. The prisoners, as the story goes, were beaten and tortured for disobeying their captors, while Jane was looked upon in the military community as a traitor. To this day, my father will not watch any movie with Jane Fonda. He wouldn't even watch TBS or TNT while she was married to Ted Turner.
By this point, my dad told me it was time to go to bed. I was just a child, but I had learned quite a bit about the realities of war. I was excited to go to school and tell everyone what I learned...
Fast forward 14 years from our conversation...after the World Trade Center attacks when the US began our occupation of Afghanistan and 2nd war with Iraq.
There is a dividing line among the populace similar to the Vietnam War-era, however the economic and political climate has changed. Our society was no longer interested in open protests in the streets. Mass media and consumerism have taken such a strong hold on us that few of us care to even leave our homes. WiFi did not yet exist. Few cell phones even had color screens, much less web capabilities. Mobile web browsing was just a glitched pipe dream. Those with opinions for and/or against the war simply stated their opinions on internet forums. The world had indeed changed...
It was during this time that my brother was in the Army, stationed in Iraq. Many of my childhood friends were there with him in various capacities, from military to civilian contractors. My sister in law just had her 3rd child, and my brother was depressed about being stuck in Iraq, missing so many of his children's firsts...first steps/first words for the youngest, first day of school for the older 2. The stress of raising 3 children alone was difficult for his wife to deal with as well, so their marriage was severely strained. My brother would call me every couple of days because he needed someone to talk to that could provide moral support and remind him of what he's doing it all for.
I kept him up on pop culture so he knew what movies and music to get in order to stay current with what's going on at home. He told me stories of waking up to explosions and having to hide under the bunks, walking outside to see missiles hitting the ground 20 feet in front of him, random sporadic gunfire throughout the day, and the infamous camel spiders.
I sent my brother care packages with video games, magazines, movies, music, snacks, etc. We wrote each other letters, emailed, and talked on the phone whenever we could. I helped him with his DBA classes, tutoring him over the phone on the structure of Access databases...
My brother returned home to the US during a time when I was not on speaking terms with my family. We lost contact for a few years while he acclimated himself back to civilian life. It wasn't until last month when I returned to this small military town in search of deeper meaning that we renewed our fraternal bond. This is when I began to realize something.
I am more like my dad in a lot of ways personality wise, yet my brother is the one that followed in his footsteps. I chose a much different path through life. I chose to continue travelling, partly because remaining stagnant drives me insane and because I wanted to get as far away from the military life as possible. I'm not fully a pacifist, as I believe in self defense, but I don't believe in war. My father and brother, however have both fought in wars. They've seen everything firsthand. Because of this, they choose to remain in the comfort of home. Even in civilian life, they choose to stay near the military. These men have seen the evils of the world and it has instilled in them a fear of humanity that can only be obtained by serving in the war.
Just to jump on a soapbox really quick, I have to explain something. We can all sit back in our chairs and say what we would or wouldn't do in different situations, but these men in my family have encountered scenarios that the rest of us can only imagine from the safety of our homes. It's easy to scream "baby killer" at a soldier, but when faced with a situation in which you and 20 of your closest friends in the world are suddenly attacked by a group of 10 year olds with machine guns who only wish to see you all die, you will find yourself caring more about your own well being and that of your 20 friends. You will consider your family and the 20 other families that will be affected if you don't kill that 10 year old kid. That's not to say that there aren't US soldiers who have committed war crimes, because there are. What you need to understand though is that you are making generalizations based on facts and ideas of which you have absolutely no knowledge of and therefore no right to make moral judgments.
Anyway, that aside, the point is this:
War changes you forever. When you go to war, you not only witness firsthand, but you participate in the evils of mankind in ways you never thought you were capable of. A man who has been to war will never be the same. They lose their innocence, and in many cases, their sense of adventure. Many of them can not deal with this loss and in turn lose their sanity.
War is a disgusting and unnecessary act perpetrated not by soldiers, who are merely pawns, but by the 1% of humanity that holds all the cards. Whether religious, political, or economic, the reasons for war are a product of the beliefs driven down our throats from birth by the 1% of humanity that is in control of our destinies.
My father never had any personal problems with any Vietnamese people in his life. Hell, some of my best friends are Vietnamese, and he gets along with them just fine. My brother and I have known each other all our lives, and I've never once heard him use disparaging terms such as "dune coon" and "sand nigger" that are thrown around by the more brainwashed "patriots" of the US military. The wars they fought in were not their own.
So when you see news reports of the Occupy protests and find yourself wanting to mock those standing up for the greater good of all of us, know that these so-called "dirty hippies" are soldiers, just like my family. Only this time they're fighting for their own beliefs. There is a war on the general populace of the world, and we have been losing for far too long. Fight not for the beliefs of the 1%. Instead fight against the 1% wherever you are in this world. We are the majority, and there's strength in numbers. They should fear us rather than oppress us. We are the people...and people are power...
About the Author - Brian Penny creates awful music under the name Mr. Versable. He tweets under the name @Versability. He believes in true love, and won't rest until he's found his...oh, and his last blog cost Bank of America a whole lotta dough although not pointing fingers, but the typos weren't his...! Peace and love! haha ;)
It wasn't until recently that I truly understood that fundamental difference. I asked my dad about the Vietnam War when I was a kid learning about it in school. I had seen Platoon and Apocalypse Now, and I was amazed that my father lived through the types of stories I saw on the silver screen.
"What was it like?" I asked him.
He regaled me with stories of marching through the swamps and forests. He explained what it felt like to be ambushed by the Vietcong military. He showed me some of the field manuals, and fed me the MRE field rations. I was excited to hear a first hand account from the man I idolized. My dad was invincible in my eyes, and it was incredible to hear. I asked him every question I could think of to learn as much as possible about what this war was like until finally I reached a question that was too much for him to handle...
"Did you ever kill anybody...?"
The smile suddenly disappeared from his face. There was a look in his eyes I had never seen before. At the time I didn't know what it was, but now I recognize it as a look of repressed anger, guilt, and fear. There was a silence for a few minutes as he decided how to answer this type of question to a curious 8 year old.
Finally he replied, "When 10 people are shooting into a bush, a lot of people died. You don't know whose bullet did it."
I wanted to press him further, but I could tell it wasn't a good idea. Wanting to move on from the awkwardness, I asked, "What was it like coming back?"
He told me about coming back from fighting in the war. When he got off the plane in the airport in his uniform with his platoon, he was so happy to be home. The celebration was short lived, however, because the Vietnam War was not a popular one in the United States. In the airport people spit in his face, called him a baby killer, and one woman even came up and slapped him in the face. I asked him why they did that...did he ever kill any babies? He explained the protests. He told me about how the media portrayed the war. The Vietnam War was the first war that was essentially televised to the entire nation. American civilians were introduced to the reality of war in their homes for the first time since the 1800's. The reactions were strong on all sides.
I could see the rage in his eyes during one story in particular in which Hanoi Jane was allowed to greet the American POW's. The Americans were expressly told by the Vietcong guards they are not to communicate any messages to her during the visit. Each prisoner secretly handed her a note, some with letters to their family, and some with information about the prison so to assist with the rescue mission. At the end of the line, she gave the notes to the guards and said she didn't feel comfortable taking part in espionage. The prisoners, as the story goes, were beaten and tortured for disobeying their captors, while Jane was looked upon in the military community as a traitor. To this day, my father will not watch any movie with Jane Fonda. He wouldn't even watch TBS or TNT while she was married to Ted Turner.
By this point, my dad told me it was time to go to bed. I was just a child, but I had learned quite a bit about the realities of war. I was excited to go to school and tell everyone what I learned...
Fast forward 14 years from our conversation...after the World Trade Center attacks when the US began our occupation of Afghanistan and 2nd war with Iraq.
There is a dividing line among the populace similar to the Vietnam War-era, however the economic and political climate has changed. Our society was no longer interested in open protests in the streets. Mass media and consumerism have taken such a strong hold on us that few of us care to even leave our homes. WiFi did not yet exist. Few cell phones even had color screens, much less web capabilities. Mobile web browsing was just a glitched pipe dream. Those with opinions for and/or against the war simply stated their opinions on internet forums. The world had indeed changed...
It was during this time that my brother was in the Army, stationed in Iraq. Many of my childhood friends were there with him in various capacities, from military to civilian contractors. My sister in law just had her 3rd child, and my brother was depressed about being stuck in Iraq, missing so many of his children's firsts...first steps/first words for the youngest, first day of school for the older 2. The stress of raising 3 children alone was difficult for his wife to deal with as well, so their marriage was severely strained. My brother would call me every couple of days because he needed someone to talk to that could provide moral support and remind him of what he's doing it all for.
I kept him up on pop culture so he knew what movies and music to get in order to stay current with what's going on at home. He told me stories of waking up to explosions and having to hide under the bunks, walking outside to see missiles hitting the ground 20 feet in front of him, random sporadic gunfire throughout the day, and the infamous camel spiders.
I sent my brother care packages with video games, magazines, movies, music, snacks, etc. We wrote each other letters, emailed, and talked on the phone whenever we could. I helped him with his DBA classes, tutoring him over the phone on the structure of Access databases...
My brother returned home to the US during a time when I was not on speaking terms with my family. We lost contact for a few years while he acclimated himself back to civilian life. It wasn't until last month when I returned to this small military town in search of deeper meaning that we renewed our fraternal bond. This is when I began to realize something.
I am more like my dad in a lot of ways personality wise, yet my brother is the one that followed in his footsteps. I chose a much different path through life. I chose to continue travelling, partly because remaining stagnant drives me insane and because I wanted to get as far away from the military life as possible. I'm not fully a pacifist, as I believe in self defense, but I don't believe in war. My father and brother, however have both fought in wars. They've seen everything firsthand. Because of this, they choose to remain in the comfort of home. Even in civilian life, they choose to stay near the military. These men have seen the evils of the world and it has instilled in them a fear of humanity that can only be obtained by serving in the war.
Just to jump on a soapbox really quick, I have to explain something. We can all sit back in our chairs and say what we would or wouldn't do in different situations, but these men in my family have encountered scenarios that the rest of us can only imagine from the safety of our homes. It's easy to scream "baby killer" at a soldier, but when faced with a situation in which you and 20 of your closest friends in the world are suddenly attacked by a group of 10 year olds with machine guns who only wish to see you all die, you will find yourself caring more about your own well being and that of your 20 friends. You will consider your family and the 20 other families that will be affected if you don't kill that 10 year old kid. That's not to say that there aren't US soldiers who have committed war crimes, because there are. What you need to understand though is that you are making generalizations based on facts and ideas of which you have absolutely no knowledge of and therefore no right to make moral judgments.
Anyway, that aside, the point is this:
War changes you forever. When you go to war, you not only witness firsthand, but you participate in the evils of mankind in ways you never thought you were capable of. A man who has been to war will never be the same. They lose their innocence, and in many cases, their sense of adventure. Many of them can not deal with this loss and in turn lose their sanity.
War is a disgusting and unnecessary act perpetrated not by soldiers, who are merely pawns, but by the 1% of humanity that holds all the cards. Whether religious, political, or economic, the reasons for war are a product of the beliefs driven down our throats from birth by the 1% of humanity that is in control of our destinies.
My father never had any personal problems with any Vietnamese people in his life. Hell, some of my best friends are Vietnamese, and he gets along with them just fine. My brother and I have known each other all our lives, and I've never once heard him use disparaging terms such as "dune coon" and "sand nigger" that are thrown around by the more brainwashed "patriots" of the US military. The wars they fought in were not their own.
So when you see news reports of the Occupy protests and find yourself wanting to mock those standing up for the greater good of all of us, know that these so-called "dirty hippies" are soldiers, just like my family. Only this time they're fighting for their own beliefs. There is a war on the general populace of the world, and we have been losing for far too long. Fight not for the beliefs of the 1%. Instead fight against the 1% wherever you are in this world. We are the majority, and there's strength in numbers. They should fear us rather than oppress us. We are the people...and people are power...
About the Author - Brian Penny creates awful music under the name Mr. Versable. He tweets under the name @Versability. He believes in true love, and won't rest until he's found his...oh, and his last blog cost Bank of America a whole lotta dough although not pointing fingers, but the typos weren't his...! Peace and love! haha ;)
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Curse of Beauty
"Hey you, what do you see?
Something beautiful, something free?"
Something beautiful, something free?"
Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
Growing up, we're taught that you can be anything you want to be. As you grow up, you quickly learn that the truth is you can be anything you want to be...unless you're ugly. It's a proven fact that the more attractive you are, the more likely you are to be hired, and the more money you'll likely make. Because of this, we've learned to be spiteful toward the beautiful people for their looks. Surely they are the cause of all of your problems as an ugly person.
I want to make one thing clear. I'm not ugly by any means. I also won't inspire you to throw your panties at me just by walking by with my shirt off. I'm just an average looking guy who knows how to make use of the features I have and have a sharp enough wit to put a smile on that face of yours. Because of this gray area (and the methods by which we judge male beauty vs female beauty), I have seen both sides of the coin on numerous occasions.
They say the grass is always greener on the other side. They are just focusing on the fact that you always want what you don't have. Everything has its good and bad points. So here's a quick glance on the beautiful side of the fence for those of you who were born a bit more unfortunate looking...
The biggest problem encountered by a beautiful girl is that a lot of people around her are fake. Look back at the times you've talked to a beautiful girl. Have you ever laughed at one of their jokes that wasn't funny? Perhaps you found yourself nodding in agreement to something you know goddamned well you don't actually agree with. Sure...sometimes you'll do this out of politeness or because it's just not worth arguing.
Be honest with yourself. The majority of the time when a guy is agreeing with a beautiful girl, it's because he wants to fuck her. When a girl is agreeing with a beautiful girl, it's because she wants to be associated with beauty so that she herself can feel as beautiful.
This is one of many pitfalls in our society. Beauty is emphasized in such a way that it is comparable to a Midas touch. Sure, being pretty will lead to certain financial advantages, but if you've ever talked to a beautiful girl as a person, you'll notice she is usually an emotional wreck. It's not easy living in a world where everything is fake. It's easy for you to judge from the outside, but beauty does not equal an inability to perceive. Kim Kardashian, for example, is still very much a human being just like you. Vilify her all you want, but if you were in her position, why would you care? Everyone just wants to fuck you anyway...you'd be an idiot not to take advantage.
The Kardashian effect is another point you should ponder. On top of this inherent inability to trust what people tell you, everybody hates you for being beautiful. I've found plenty of people will mock someone who puts effort into the way they look. This is true on both sides of the coin. People who chase trends in order to fit a certain personification of beauty are chastised by those who prefer to be unique, while the unique people are looked down upon for their efforts to stand out in a different way. Either way, we appear to be trained as a society to mock those who attempt to do anything. Has someone you know ever told you they were writing a book or starting a company, and you thought to yourself that's cool, but you'll never be the next big thing? Any type of effort someone puts into doing something you're not doing is essentially a waste of time in your view.
Sure, you may be reading this and thinking you're not like that. Maybe you're not all the time. You have been at one point in your life though. That's something you need to keep in mind. I can easily look at the amount of pollution in the world and say "I didn't do it," but I have thrown trash on the ground before. It's rare, but it's happened. That makes me just as responsible as anyone else.
There's 308 million people in the United States. If every person only ever makes 1 bad decision in their entire lives, that's 308,000,000 bad decisions. You can sit around thinking the one time you did or said something to someone wasn't a big deal, but if everyone does it, it's an astronomical figure. Also keep in mind that no matter how high of a horse you sit on about never doing, saying, or thinking anything bad in your entire life, we all know you're full of shit. Everyone sins. Everyone has been angry. Everyone has committed a crime in their lives. Everyone has episodes from their past they would be uncomfortable if they came to light. There's not just 1 time from each person. Nobody is innocent, and fuck you for thinking you are, you judgmental prick.
Anyway, the point is this...don't hate people because they're beautiful. It only makes things worse. Instead, try getting to know the person. Talk to them. Understand where they're coming from. Once you've put in the time to do that, you can decide whatever you want. If you don't want to put that kind of time in, then don't bother putting your 2 cents in either...
About the Author - Brian Penny creates awful music under the name Mr. Versable. He tweets under the name @Versability. He believes in true love[Image], and won't rest until he's found his...oh, and his last blog cost Bank of America a whole lotta dough although not pointing fingers, but the typos weren't his...! Peace and love! haha ;)
Growing up, we're taught that you can be anything you want to be. As you grow up, you quickly learn that the truth is you can be anything you want to be...unless you're ugly. It's a proven fact that the more attractive you are, the more likely you are to be hired, and the more money you'll likely make. Because of this, we've learned to be spiteful toward the beautiful people for their looks. Surely they are the cause of all of your problems as an ugly person.
I want to make one thing clear. I'm not ugly by any means. I also won't inspire you to throw your panties at me just by walking by with my shirt off. I'm just an average looking guy who knows how to make use of the features I have and have a sharp enough wit to put a smile on that face of yours. Because of this gray area (and the methods by which we judge male beauty vs female beauty), I have seen both sides of the coin on numerous occasions.
They say the grass is always greener on the other side. They are just focusing on the fact that you always want what you don't have. Everything has its good and bad points. So here's a quick glance on the beautiful side of the fence for those of you who were born a bit more unfortunate looking...
The biggest problem encountered by a beautiful girl is that a lot of people around her are fake. Look back at the times you've talked to a beautiful girl. Have you ever laughed at one of their jokes that wasn't funny? Perhaps you found yourself nodding in agreement to something you know goddamned well you don't actually agree with. Sure...sometimes you'll do this out of politeness or because it's just not worth arguing.
Be honest with yourself. The majority of the time when a guy is agreeing with a beautiful girl, it's because he wants to fuck her. When a girl is agreeing with a beautiful girl, it's because she wants to be associated with beauty so that she herself can feel as beautiful.
This is one of many pitfalls in our society. Beauty is emphasized in such a way that it is comparable to a Midas touch. Sure, being pretty will lead to certain financial advantages, but if you've ever talked to a beautiful girl as a person, you'll notice she is usually an emotional wreck. It's not easy living in a world where everything is fake. It's easy for you to judge from the outside, but beauty does not equal an inability to perceive. Kim Kardashian, for example, is still very much a human being just like you. Vilify her all you want, but if you were in her position, why would you care? Everyone just wants to fuck you anyway...you'd be an idiot not to take advantage.
The Kardashian effect is another point you should ponder. On top of this inherent inability to trust what people tell you, everybody hates you for being beautiful. I've found plenty of people will mock someone who puts effort into the way they look. This is true on both sides of the coin. People who chase trends in order to fit a certain personification of beauty are chastised by those who prefer to be unique, while the unique people are looked down upon for their efforts to stand out in a different way. Either way, we appear to be trained as a society to mock those who attempt to do anything. Has someone you know ever told you they were writing a book or starting a company, and you thought to yourself that's cool, but you'll never be the next big thing? Any type of effort someone puts into doing something you're not doing is essentially a waste of time in your view.
Sure, you may be reading this and thinking you're not like that. Maybe you're not all the time. You have been at one point in your life though. That's something you need to keep in mind. I can easily look at the amount of pollution in the world and say "I didn't do it," but I have thrown trash on the ground before. It's rare, but it's happened. That makes me just as responsible as anyone else.
There's 308 million people in the United States. If every person only ever makes 1 bad decision in their entire lives, that's 308,000,000 bad decisions. You can sit around thinking the one time you did or said something to someone wasn't a big deal, but if everyone does it, it's an astronomical figure. Also keep in mind that no matter how high of a horse you sit on about never doing, saying, or thinking anything bad in your entire life, we all know you're full of shit. Everyone sins. Everyone has been angry. Everyone has committed a crime in their lives. Everyone has episodes from their past they would be uncomfortable if they came to light. There's not just 1 time from each person. Nobody is innocent, and fuck you for thinking you are, you judgmental prick.
Anyway, the point is this...don't hate people because they're beautiful. It only makes things worse. Instead, try getting to know the person. Talk to them. Understand where they're coming from. Once you've put in the time to do that, you can decide whatever you want. If you don't want to put that kind of time in, then don't bother putting your 2 cents in either...
About the Author - Brian Penny creates awful music under the name Mr. Versable. He tweets under the name @Versability. He believes in true love[Image], and won't rest until he's found his...oh, and his last blog cost Bank of America a whole lotta dough although not pointing fingers, but the typos weren't his...! Peace and love! haha ;)
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