Are we a blame the victim society? Are we victims of our own
creation?
Regular readers may be frustrated with my many titles as to
why I chose a title and what has it to do with what is written. Sometimes I do
try to tie it all together somewhere in the post, sometimes I leave it be.
So tonight, I am not sure. I do not want this to be about victims,
but every where I go this New Year’s I am reminded about victims.
There are the federal workers who aren’t working, there is a
scathing documentary about R. Kelly, there are victims in general about sexual
violence etc…, there are the millions of taxpayers who may not receive a refund
right away, there are the people reliant on government services, there are
victims of all sorts of scams, there are immigrants, illegal immigrants, and
refugees, there is a President, and it seems someone is a victim somewhere. Yet
this isn’t about them, but all about them.
Who are victims? What
are victims? God only knows.
I may play a pop psychologist every now and then in this
blog, so do I have answers? Well with the New Year we have all sorts of pop
psychology books telling us how we can be a better we. Books to make us bad
asses, books to lose weight, books with better ways to lose weight, books
recycled to tell us how to make friends and impress people, books to sell
better, books to feel better, books to help us manage our finances, books on
how to win the lottery and make millions, and the list goes on so 2019 can be
our year. Otherwise we are a victim of not carpe annum.
In our society we worship the strong and abhor the weak. The
weak are failures, the strong rule the day and the most successful. In Christianity
though the meek inherit the Earth, the first come last and the last come first.
How can we say our society is based on Christianity and yet live completely the
opposite?
Here is an article:
I do not agree with much of what it says, and it really is
not talking about victims, or is it? Is our political system a victim to this
author’s point? He doesn’t say so, but with the way things have been coming at
me, I read that idea into this article. And I think he has it wrong in that our
body politic is sick. The problem is we are not participants. The vast majority
of this country is not obsessed with 4-year political cycles. The vast majority
is hurt by this process, but some of that is our fault. I always say a Democracy
needs participation and if you let others participate for you, well there you
are, stuck. (On a side note, I do have some ideas to at least procedurally
alleviate some of the author’s concerns about why we have this sick body politic,
there have been previous posts that have discussed this in some shape form or
fashion and I will write more on the specific subject soon. And yes, the dreaded phrase campaign reform is
involved)
And that seems to be the problem with victims. We are not
participating. We accept myths and half-truths, so we can go about our
business. Dealing with a victim takes work and involvement. It means a
sacrifice needs to be made to right whatever wrong caused there to be a victim.
Victims aren’t bad, they shouldn’t exist. We create many of them by ignoring what
is wrong. And we treat the victim as the problem. Again, am I being a pop psychologist?
Yes, to an extent. Everyone somewhere even those not well read know at some
level there is some truth to what I am saying.
Epiphany was last Sunday; this post should not be one. The
issue is participation. And you talk to people and they know the answer. People
will say I need to get more involved. Yet where are we? Are we victims of our own
laziness and procrastination. I could make a case for myself here.
When I first started this blog in the introduction, I said I
would not talk negatively and instead try to find positive solutions. (Ha ha ha,
it was the best of intentions, it was the worst of intentions.) And for our victim
filled world that is hard to achieve. The answer is simple. Actually, achieving
a world without victims seems impossible.
We should not delineate between strong and weak, first and
last in the secular world, success and failure because all this is fleeting. We
should focus on the lasting, what comes tomorrow, yet we do not. So, for the positive, the New Year book for
becoming a better person, to quit blaming the victim, is all you have to do is
participate?
Back to the article, many Americans do care, they feel
powerless to get involved so they do not. Or they are too busy, frazzled,
confused, lied to, lost, have other interests and more importantly other tasks
to accomplish, to do lists to complete, chores, organizations that require time,
we fill up our time to avoid doing what is better for ourselves and hence
better for others. We may think we are doing better for others by volunteering
or giving or joining a group, and yes many do for others, but think about the phrase
you hear especially in volunteer work, 10% do 90% of the work. And brother I
feel your pain, but most of the time I am the other 90% doing 10% of the
work. So, is the key where you
participate? Guess what, it doesn’t matter as long as you participate (well no
criminal participation or hate filled participation).
You read me repeatedly say we need new political parties,
but what have I done? Oh yeah sure, done some research, know some laws, rant
and rave, every now and then I write a public policy idea, but what have I done?
I want to do better, but even with all the make me a better person books on the
market, what am I doing? Am I a victim of my own undoing? Of course not. I do
create victims though by not doing. (And one thing I hate is people who think
they are strong demeaning others who try to care, there is some real weakness
buddy)
We whine about victims and praise the false gods of success
then complain that we were cheated or mistreated when we do not reach hyperbolic
heights. Talents can bring us success, but they do not make us different or better
than others, we just did better with what we have. Success can be celebrated,
but victims shouldn’t be blamed for their failure because the failure is us not
succeeding for the whole. We should strive for the simple of not mistreating someone
because they are human and always be there for others when we are successful. It
sounds so damn simple, but………
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