So I realized I'm getting less tolerant of people that are of the G.I. Joe mindset. You know how the jingle goes. "Knowing is half the battle! G.I. JOE!" I used to be the same way. I felt very mature because I could identify a problem/character flaw within myself but then what? If you've identified a problem and say, "yes, I know that's a problem" the first time, then yes, good for you. But then when it just becomes a habit to use it as a rationalization or an excuse, it ceases to be a positive thing. Identifying a personal problem and then say you're working on in when in reality you're not does nothing for me and I'm not going to give you a cookie for it. The rest of the battle and the war is working on it, or accepting it, own it, be it, and don't excuse yourself for it. Again, probably easier said than done.

Why are we working our asses off? For the money? Or is it for the status? A question that was posed last week on PBS on a special called "Status Anxiety" by Alain de Botton. Are we all just starved for societal love? Are we just all really that new little kid in kindergarten craving for social acceptance and that elusive feeling of feeling loved and safe.

The show really got me thinking. I mean why are we all running the rat race? Especially in this area. I mean, the GDP in this DC Metro area alone is probably more than several developing nations put together. Of course I don't have any scientific proof to that, but it sure feels truthy, doesn't it? I mean, seriously, the weddings industry in this region alone is somewhere around 4 billion dollars or so I heard on Marketplace in passing one evening.

The funny thing is, I found that living in this area has been more of a hindrance than a helping in really finding deep connections/bonds with people. In my experience, most of the people I come in contact with are willing to be around me if it suits them. Fairweather friends I suppose.

We happened to get Clerks 2 in Netflix over the weekend, and man, Kevin Smith gets it. Or so he does a very good job of eloquently grossing me out and preaching about what real deep friendships are all about. If you haven't seen it, you should, not just for the donkey scene. Between all the dick and fart jokes sprinkled with Star Wars and Transformers, there are real moments that friends share with each other that you can't get from 99% of the superficial people out there that you want to respect your supposed status. And you can take that to the bank.

I've been thinking about how most relationships I've had to deal with. Be it with family, friends, or professional. Ultimately it boils down to two dichotomies that become trials/obstacles. The first is being there for a person, which brings up the idea, do you just listen and not say anything or do you advise? Do you think you have a solution, but does this solution ultimately push the person to maybe change their habits? And usually people don't change for others, they have to come to that decision themselves. And then I have to ask myself, usually in hindsight, why do I care so much if this person changes their habits or not. Why do I care that they need to realign their habits and moral code to something I might consider "right." Seeing how most of these "rights" are based of principles of ideals and not experience. Or maybe some of them are my experiences, but they're not that person's.

Which seques into the next question. What do I prefer more? Being right (having it my way, a la House M.D.) or having harmony and being able to bite my tongue and live and let live.

I understand there are times where a person must stand up for what they believe but then there is a lot to be said that everyone sees life through their own prism and who's to say which prism is better?

Lately, I've been just being hands off. "Letting go" as in, why put so much energy into something you know you have no ability to change. Maybe its another step towards complacency, but I don't view it that way. When you free up that energy to enforce things you can't change, you're also free to re-channel it into something else, hopefully something more positive shaping.