I once heard this statement years ago: "Basically, you gots 2 kinda people in this world, uptight and hip." up until recently this made total sense to me. We have this peculiar need to divide everything up thus causing conflict. Black and white or yellow or brown, Muslim and Christian or Jewish or Buddhist or.... American, German, Brazilian, Japanese etc. etc. Straight, gay, bi.
It's less interesting to me today what one chooses to identify themselves as.
So what's up with the 2 kinds of people? Well, either you can choose to live and let live or waste your energy trying to change other people and living in fear. Hip or uptight. I've known hip people who identify as white or black or asian etc, and plenty of uptight people who identify as white or black or asin etc. I've met hip people who identify as gay or straight or uptight people who identify as straight or gay.
Except something in this no longer resonates with me. See, I identify as hip, but I certainly have my hangups, or things I am uptight about. I don't identify myself as my name, race, gender or nationality, these are just agreements.
And maybe those I think are uptight have something hip to offer. I'll never know by having the hangup of putting a label on them. Once I've chosen to label someone, all communications with that person cease to be. I've created an image. Images aren't people.
I heard a joke once. Satan and his best friend were walking up the street when they spot someone acros the road who just came upon a discovery. The person showed utter delight upon this discovery and she picked it up off the ground and started to dance as if she had no burden, no weight. The devils friend asked "Satan, what did she just find?" Satan replied "The Truth, that's what!" Satans' friend then ask "Well, isn't that going to be bad for business?" The Devil replies: "No, not at all, in fact let's cross the street so we can help her organize it!"
So at the end of the day what do we really have? Just people I suppose, just people. It's a struggle to accept that sometimes but when I do, life stays light.
Jef
It's less interesting to me today what one chooses to identify themselves as.
So what's up with the 2 kinds of people? Well, either you can choose to live and let live or waste your energy trying to change other people and living in fear. Hip or uptight. I've known hip people who identify as white or black or asian etc, and plenty of uptight people who identify as white or black or asin etc. I've met hip people who identify as gay or straight or uptight people who identify as straight or gay.
Except something in this no longer resonates with me. See, I identify as hip, but I certainly have my hangups, or things I am uptight about. I don't identify myself as my name, race, gender or nationality, these are just agreements.
And maybe those I think are uptight have something hip to offer. I'll never know by having the hangup of putting a label on them. Once I've chosen to label someone, all communications with that person cease to be. I've created an image. Images aren't people.
I heard a joke once. Satan and his best friend were walking up the street when they spot someone acros the road who just came upon a discovery. The person showed utter delight upon this discovery and she picked it up off the ground and started to dance as if she had no burden, no weight. The devils friend asked "Satan, what did she just find?" Satan replied "The Truth, that's what!" Satans' friend then ask "Well, isn't that going to be bad for business?" The Devil replies: "No, not at all, in fact let's cross the street so we can help her organize it!"
So at the end of the day what do we really have? Just people I suppose, just people. It's a struggle to accept that sometimes but when I do, life stays light.
Jef
