There are a lot of things that I don’t agree with that are part of the human race. Religion, bigotry, close-mindedness, racism, ignorance, and the like. But I believe that being human comes with a certain finesse. Something that separates us from the animals is being able to control our impulses. Though most of the time we can’t control our thoughts or our emotions, we can control how we react to them. We can choose our actions even if we can’t choose our thought process. We can try to become better people by actively reinforcing it with our positive actions.
Countless times I’ve heard people say to mind their own business or they reflect on how other people don’t pay enough attention to their own lives than the lives of others. Or even how they’re going to live life the way they want to and other people should stop judging them. In my opinion, people just say those things to validate the bad choices they’ve made. If you don’t want people to judge what you’re doing, then don’t give them anything to judge. Don’t cheat, don’t steal, don’t do something that may be frowned upon.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not an angel and I’ve been guilty for telling people to shove it and mind their own business more than a few times. But I also try to live my life with integrity. I try to make the best choice not only for myself but for the people around me.
I don’t cheat, I try not to lie, I’m a relatively honest person, and I do my best to not lead people on or hurt them – especially if I’m friends with them.
There’s a reason that the paparazzi pay attention to celebrities. There’s a reason that people judge them and take pictures of them and follow their every move.
Yes, life is messy and people are going to get hurt. But that doesn’t mean that you should make that decision that’s going to hurt someone if it can be avoided. Collateral damage happens. But how many people are you willing to sacrifice for your own happiness? How many people are you willing to hurt so that you can take a chance at something?
Being a human being is not about impulse, it’s about the choices that you make. Because that is what ultimately defines who you are. Are you the person that will push someone down to get ahead? Or are you the person who will help pick them up?
It’s your choice who you want to be. Choose wisely.
