I was engaged in a conversation with a friend of mine this morning who made this statement as a precursor to his overall outlook on reality, and I have to say that I thoroughly agree with him. Reality is a collection of meaningless, trite events that make less of an impact than most of us realize. You need more convincing? Read on:
Stolley: “You have this huge pimple on your head, and for you it’s a big fucking deal. You are so intensely self-aware of your complexion and physical appearance, you fail to realize that for other people, it’s just a pimple. Sure you might get a statement or two like, “Damn are you growing another eyeball?” But at the end of the day, no one is going home to their spouse to talk about the size of your pimple. I know this is a sophomoric example of what I’m trying to get at, but you get the picture.”
Wactor: “It’s true. For the most part, no one’s going to pat you on the back when you accomplish something, no one but yourself. Sure, your parents want you to succeed on a general level. But the truth of the matter is that if you have good parents, as long as you’re content with your position in society, that's all that matters. What I mean is: if you’re content being a carpenter, your good at it, it contributes to society, and you make enough to pay the bills, your parents aren't going to admonish you for it. Not truly.”
Stolley: “Right, and the thing is, if you’re having a bad fucking day at work, and you call up your parents to talk about it, your parents will care, maybe even show some empathy, but they’re certainly not going to lose any sleep over it.”
Wactor: “The only person that’s affected by your actions is you. For example, my NCO this morning lauded and praised my coworkers for their dedication to run sixteen miles in preparation for the marathon next week; have I ever gained any praise for working on my Master’s degree while I’m deployed? No. And I don’t need it, because in the end the only one that stands to gain from my accomplishments is me. I have to become fulfilled from my own success if I ever hope to make it anywhere.”
This, unfortunately, is why I will not quit smoking anytime soon; the social interaction you derive from smoking cannot be easily replicated. If you find something, let me know. My lungs would thank you.
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2 comments:
You'll never find a replacement for the social aspect of hookah. I will smoke till the day I die (and probably from lung cancer, lol).
I DEFINITELY could never find a social replacement for hookah, because I could smoke hookah for HOURS while doing almost anything.
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