Optimism"You say there is nothing to hope for. You say we are all headed for doom. You say democracy is dead and America is the devil, as you take another swig of your Jack Daniel's and Coke.
You say banks are evil. That they feed off our vanity and greed, making us clowns in a grotesque comedy. You say the West is dead, destroyed: no morality, no life...just shopping. Tell me, could you say that to the girl who is beaten with sticks for revealing a lock of hair? She cannot say anything.
You say everyone works for money out of egotism...that we all just pretend to care. You say our way of life spells the end of humanity, and that we know nothing of what we speak. You say we are enslaved by fashion; but so is every society, even tribesmen in the Serengeti.
You say it all because you have the luxury to complain.
True, we live in a capitalist system. True, we have become disconnected from our political system and live in a hyperconsumerist culture.
But I will not allow you to bring me down from my high. I will not let you judge me. Nihilism, shmihilism. The freedom of negative expression maintains oppression. Think twice about pessimism--it keeps unwanted systems in existence.
Say something I haven't heard before."--Stephanie Bailey
I'm definitely guilty of a defeatest attitude. I've passed pessimism on long enough, I now strive to focus on the beauty of our society. If I've learned anything this past year, I've learned that humans are capable of change. This motivates me to promote social change and not submit to "norms." I recently read a quote on a friend's wall, "it's not a sign of health to be adjusted to a profoundly sick society." Truer words have never been spoken. Solution:be the cure!! Instead of merely denying societal standards or worse settling for them, ignite change. Be the spark. Set this beautiful, horrible, crazy world ablaze!!
"Be the change you want to see in the world."--Mahatma Gandhi
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