I just got done
re-watching Tony Robbins talk at TED and it helped to remind me of
something important. Why happy people can stay happy and sad people
sad centers around one thing. Giving. When you have nothing to
offer, nothing to give, and no place that cares or needs to learn
from you consequently you feel like shit. I know that personally this
sentiment makes sense especially when I think I have something to
offer that isn't being utilized. I think many people don't realize
what they are in fact giving in the first place. This would account
for why it is so easy to drink, smoke, and randomly hook up as
"cures" to the (sub)conscious ailment. Hell, come to
think of it, this probably does make sense for why people are in
shitty relationships and pretend they are puppets of their
religions.
When someone doesn't give anything to themselves it is easy to see where an emotional giving crutch mechanism can take hold of their minds. "I'm too fat, stupid, lonely.. ect." Translates into "he/she needs me, I can excuse that, at least here's something, anything, to do." Robbins used the example of violence and guns to make a street punk go from nothing to significant in the blink of an eye. What do we use in college. The trinity; alcohol, drugs, and sex. Maybe you don't have a personality, anyone to coach in class, or athletic skills, but you can hook up anybody to anything if they want it. Parents riding you about grades and your future, mine too, puff puff give. Its only about fun though right? Let's just kill the monotony of everyday life and forget. We're social animals and this is the most common way to just blend in and associate.
It's really hard for me to understand that reasoning because 1. I can't imagine how fun it is to balance between walking straight, losing clothes, and maybe throwing up (Which, if we're being honest is usually along the road of foreseeable futures if you like to party) 2. People perpetuate their own situations, if you think life is boring, your making boring choices, 3. I don't want to forget. I can barely remember things that should hold significance as it is let alone justify actively retarding my brain that much more, 4. I fit in with people who fit themselves. If you have an identity then there is no need for a pathetic excuse like alcohol to keep any sort of relationship we have in tact or worth it. By offering booze and drugs your offering nothing and then to feel confused about why I don't take it is to remain baffled by your own lack of self fulfillment. Nothing that even hints on a border of the aforementioned is remotely close to being a good excuse to drink.
How does this then play into the religious mindset? Well they're giving the Word of God. They are giving love, truth, and hope. They are giving the secrets of the universe. Is there anything more empowering? When one hears these claims and then watches that same person stay constantly depressed or self defeatist and yell "God damn it!" as they stub their toe on the way out of church, is it that hard to see just how little it is that's being given? I have this one friend Tapper who's definition of God is love. Tapper's a pretty loving guy so go figure the religious mindset or lifestyle works exceedingly well for him. I have other friends who are in the habit of making a bunch of the claims above in one hand, living and feeling another way in the other hand. The way religions work are the same way drugs work in that they provide an "escape" from yourself and "work" to make you forget about the down pour of negativity. It doesn't matter if it's true, it doesn't matter if it kills your body, it is just a means for an end you can't reach.
Connect with yourself, connect with people, go do shit. It's a seemingly simple enough formula.
Tony Robbins talk Here
