XXXVII

Judgment

Tolerance towards others can be taught, and the open-minded shall willingly and easily grasp the concept. Judgment of others can be eschewed. However, the more prevalent judgment is that we pass upon ourselves. Low self-esteem and high ego are generally the same disease, for both involve concentrated focus upon ourselves. The cure to depression is not puffing up our ego. That is still subjective. Contrary to the vast opinion, the cure is simply focusing upon ourselves less. By not passing judgment upon ourselves, we become more accepting of others, too.

With the rise of social media, humans have become more self-aware. I believe this creates the surplus of arrogant assholes and greater depression. The cure is less self-focus. When cease worshipping ourselves, we find true happiness and freedom.

 

"True humility is not thinking more or less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less."

- C. S. Lewis 

XXXVI

Cadillac Records

Muddy Waters: Welcome to Cadillac Records; stay around long enough and everyone get one.

Howlin' Wolf: This old truck--I own it. It don't own me.

Leonard Chess: I wanna offer you a $100 advance.

Howlin' Wolf: I don't borrow against the store. Just pay me what you owe me. 

- Howlin' Wolf arrives at Chess Records, excerpt from Cadillac Records 
 

Muddy Waters found himself lacking money, for he accepted his cash in advance. He was given a Cadillac, and then he worked his ass off just to pay for the damn thing. When Howlin' Wolf arrives, he questions the status quo. He takes only what he earns. His principle, though uncommon, proved to be better. Many times we follow the popular practice, but the path less traveled reaps greater benefits.

   



XXXV

My Last Duchess

Robert Browning's poem My Last Duchess beautifully displays the strife occurring within our own minds. Though the poem's narrator fully admires the handiwork of "the last Duchess hanging on the wall", he keeps her hidden behind a curtain. He has grown tired of the questions it brings. Seemingly from guilt or self-consciousness, he keeps her a secret. When illustrated, the actions of the man seem bizarre. However, within our minds, we do the very same. We contain ideas, thoughts, dreams, and emotions we wrestle with almost daily, though we kept them hidden. Perhaps, that is our last Duchess. 

XXXIV

Artifice

Instantaneous. Influenced by the rapid technology, we seek pleasures that instantly satisfy. Patience is a virtue we, as a culture, lack greatly. Driven by such whims, we act before pondering the full consequences of our actions. But even more so detrimental, we have become succumb to the woes of artifice.

Accustom to rapid movement of trends and society, we oscillate between desires. We seek the newest, latest, and greatest, though we are not fully aware of who we are as individuals. Attempting to follow trends, we become nothing but artificial. We crave for the latest, simply because it is popular. However, if we are truly aware of our own personalities and needs, we quickly realize, trends are usually nothing more than artifice. They add no value to life nor do we truly need the advertised product.

Depth and realness are stripped from our modern day society, for we are content with superficial pleasures. Although, if we study the true emotions of ourselves and others, we realize these superficial pleasures never seem to satisfy. We want more. Something better. We crave depth and realness, for we drown in a sea of artificiality. For if nothing in our lives contains meaning, what then is the purpose behind every action, word, thought, and deed we produce? Without depth, can our lives even have a purpose, or is this all just meaningless folly?