Punishment seems to be a norm for anything and everything. Whether directly or indirectly, punishment always seems to find its way to those who must pay for something done incorrectly. It is a very twisted enterprise, indeed. Nevertheless, punishment is not something many fear or dedicate thought to when committing some action that would otherwise be unacceptable. The kind of punishment that seems to have the most effective results is the personal kind, which founded upon three pillars: self-control, self-critique, self-punishment. It is also the worst kind there is. Contrary to wide spread belief, the fear of receiving any kind of punishment for what one does is not a strong enough force to prevent one from taking that certain action which one should not do according to the punishment expectation. Disaster begins, however, when the self becomes involved as a third party.
There are varying kinds and degrees of other punishments offered by family or the society one inhabits. They range from the silence treatment, which may lead to missing out on some very important family events to complete ostracism from the family circle. Then, on a different level there exists the monetary fines and community service as well as jail time, which are inflicted upon one who commits a crime. But such punishments can also reach the heights of execution, otherwise known as the capital punishment. The problem with this wide range of punishments is that results are not necessarily delivered. People are aware of what will happen if they commit a crime, or fail to fulfill a role at a family function or break a promise. Yet, that does not stop them from doing or not doing such things whatever the case might be.
The power of the self, on the other hand, seems to work its own magic. Self-control seems to be the first pillar to accomplishment. Yet, it can also be very damaging. Self-control is the best and worst kind of control there is. The fact that makes it the best is self-explanatory. Since it is self-control, then it means that one already knows what is best for one, thus preventing something which would hurt one’s own interests. Conversely, what makes it the worst is somewhat more complicated. The fact that is self-control also means that it has a stronger power precisely over the person executing it. This means that it might also prevent the one from taking certain actions that one would have otherwise enjoyed or be benefited from in the long run. But self-control obstructed one from acting so at the crucial moment.
Then, there is the next step: self-critique. When one fails to realize a goal or acts in a non-acceptable way, the second pillar of self-torture becomes involved in the game. Self-critique is the cruelest there is. It does not stop in superficialities; it digs deep down into those parts of one’s insecurities and reasons for acting in a certain manner. Self-critique never reaches the bottom of the abyss; it simply keeps dragging one down. One will be criticized by the world for an act committed or refraining to act but the world forgets. One might be forgiven. But one will never forgive. The critique, the memory will never fade. It will remain as a way to remind oneself of the mistake once committed and the many different ways it could have been avoided.
Finally, the most dreadful pillars in the quest to perfection: self-punishment. If self-control fails to prevent one from action, and if self-critique, as unkind as it might be, also fails to bring about regret of action or the fact that one remained static at the moment of needed action, there is self-punishment. There is, of course, the punishment that emanates from society and its inhabitants. Though, such punishment can be overcome. It stops when one enters one’s house or when one ignores what others do or say. The punishment one imposes upon oneself has further reaching consequences. It travels on a spectrum that goes from simply prohibiting a certain culinary pleasure to rigorously disciplining not only one’s every step, but also one’s every breath. It is the only way to the unattainable perfection one strives for or so one believes.
The fact remains that the only person of whom we should beware is oneself. The rest are only superficial material encounters with reality. The power of the self is further reaching than anything in the world that borders the bodily edges of one’s existence.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
A Lethal Weapon
There are ways to corrupt people and then there are the ways to corrupt people. Most of the inhabitants of the terrestrial globe seem to believe that power and money corrupt people more easily than might do other things. Indeed, power and money tend to alter, dramatically in some cases, people’s behaviors, but rhetoric is a far more powerful device because it can pretentiously modify people’s thoughts, otherwise known as mind contents.
Power and money, which seem to be interrelated, have for centuries been considered the major source of corruption for men. People who are believed to be drunk in power are thought capable of anything and everything. Since power structures are an intrinsic part of how society works, it becomes easy to attribute them responsibility for many of the terrible happenings in the world. It is a widely held belief that if someone acquires too much power or has a substantial economic fortune, then those people have long been lost to the dark side. Of course, it is true that such can be the case, but there is much more to corruption than what money and power can do whether alone or combined.
Language and its persuasion power are far more compelling. Money and power are but two of the tools it employs in order to achieve its varied ends. Actions do not matter much when people speak of what others do. Deeds are more important than words it is said, but one must not forget that people also believe what they hear more easily when they have not seen actions taking place whether these words speak positively or negatively. Most importantly, however, is what someone’s speech can do to someone else’s mind directly. Ideas can be planted on people’s minds and can be cared for in order for them to grow healthy, as do seeds planted on the soil. In the same way that when the soil is not good enough to grow the seeds that have been planted, the soil is manipulated in order for it to produce so can people’s minds be twisted through language in order for the newly acquired ideas to developed into attitudes. There is precisely where the danger can be detected. Persuasion can be an evil power not only a good way to encourage others to improve and continue on their path however difficult it might seem.
Persuasion is a tricky device because it is difficult to detect as well as difficult to master. Yet, when used correctly it can have both positive effects and negative ones. Its positive effects are, however, well known since among them there is the renowned practice of persuading people to believe themselves capable of things beyond their reach. The negative ones are more devious since at first glance they appear to walk the ranks of the good intended. Hence, persuasive abilities are utilized in diverse ways that sometimes go beyond the expected. One can make people accept as true the unexpected if worded correctly. In that same category, is included the fact that one can change people’s minds contents if only one has a more convincing filling to place in the emptied space as soon as its former contents begin to drift out. In this way, language can corrupt minds, which is a capacity that money and power alone do not share.
Thus, the power rhetoric exudes is not comparable to anything else because it can control the mind. The mind is the most significant part of the human body as means to control a person because the body follows the instructions the mind provides. If through language one can achieve control over a human mind, then one has acquired complete control over the person. Money as well as power only allow for limited time control over someone. But with language, one empties the mind and fills it with whatever one pleases. The rest is history, but with money and power one must constantly work to distort people’s ethics. There is a need for reassurance. Rhetoric does not necessitate such practice.
It is imperative to pay close attention to what people have to say in order to learn how to understand the power of oratory. In such a way, one can at least attempt to prevent others from slowly converting us into puppets without our notice. It is key to be able to differentiate between our ideas and who we are and whom others try to make us become.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Power and money, which seem to be interrelated, have for centuries been considered the major source of corruption for men. People who are believed to be drunk in power are thought capable of anything and everything. Since power structures are an intrinsic part of how society works, it becomes easy to attribute them responsibility for many of the terrible happenings in the world. It is a widely held belief that if someone acquires too much power or has a substantial economic fortune, then those people have long been lost to the dark side. Of course, it is true that such can be the case, but there is much more to corruption than what money and power can do whether alone or combined.
Language and its persuasion power are far more compelling. Money and power are but two of the tools it employs in order to achieve its varied ends. Actions do not matter much when people speak of what others do. Deeds are more important than words it is said, but one must not forget that people also believe what they hear more easily when they have not seen actions taking place whether these words speak positively or negatively. Most importantly, however, is what someone’s speech can do to someone else’s mind directly. Ideas can be planted on people’s minds and can be cared for in order for them to grow healthy, as do seeds planted on the soil. In the same way that when the soil is not good enough to grow the seeds that have been planted, the soil is manipulated in order for it to produce so can people’s minds be twisted through language in order for the newly acquired ideas to developed into attitudes. There is precisely where the danger can be detected. Persuasion can be an evil power not only a good way to encourage others to improve and continue on their path however difficult it might seem.
Persuasion is a tricky device because it is difficult to detect as well as difficult to master. Yet, when used correctly it can have both positive effects and negative ones. Its positive effects are, however, well known since among them there is the renowned practice of persuading people to believe themselves capable of things beyond their reach. The negative ones are more devious since at first glance they appear to walk the ranks of the good intended. Hence, persuasive abilities are utilized in diverse ways that sometimes go beyond the expected. One can make people accept as true the unexpected if worded correctly. In that same category, is included the fact that one can change people’s minds contents if only one has a more convincing filling to place in the emptied space as soon as its former contents begin to drift out. In this way, language can corrupt minds, which is a capacity that money and power alone do not share.
Thus, the power rhetoric exudes is not comparable to anything else because it can control the mind. The mind is the most significant part of the human body as means to control a person because the body follows the instructions the mind provides. If through language one can achieve control over a human mind, then one has acquired complete control over the person. Money as well as power only allow for limited time control over someone. But with language, one empties the mind and fills it with whatever one pleases. The rest is history, but with money and power one must constantly work to distort people’s ethics. There is a need for reassurance. Rhetoric does not necessitate such practice.
It is imperative to pay close attention to what people have to say in order to learn how to understand the power of oratory. In such a way, one can at least attempt to prevent others from slowly converting us into puppets without our notice. It is key to be able to differentiate between our ideas and who we are and whom others try to make us become.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
The Guilt in Celebration
The holidays are the one thing for which everyone patiently awaits because whatever occurs previous to their arrival does not prevent said appearance. They are bound to come around punctually as if they had a permanent date with humanity every twelve months. The problem lies, however, in determining why one’s excitement about certain days of the year is so great when the rest of the year simply passes by without receiving any special attention. So why are the holidays so special? The most common answer to such inquiry is as follows. The holidays are the perfect time to spend time with the family. But are they really an excuse to spend time with the family that is mostly neglected the rest of the year, or, are they a capitalist creation to coerce the public to spend money on commodities that more often than not are not necessary?
It is, indeed, difficult to reach a consensus about this interrogative since there is evidence that supports both cases. The holidays serve an important role as far as family time is concerned. It is well known that during the holidays there usually is also vacation time, in most cases because there are certain occupations that do not allow for said leisure time. The time that would then otherwise be spent working or at school is projected towards other activities. Family tends to become the number one priority because it requires a considerable amount of attention and there is the free time for attending to familial necessities. This occurs whether it is only one day off due to an obscure holiday or during the extensive winter holiday season. Thousands of students head home during holidays, as do thousands of people who have not been at home during the year due to their job location. This seems to suggest that family takes precedence to any other matters that could occupy the time of those who travel home during holidays.
On the other hand, holidays are the days that report the greatest profits as well as the times during which most companies or retailers offer items at reduced prices. Is it a coincidence that this happens during holidays? Of course, it is not. It is rather a plan to persuade people to buy more of which they would otherwise not do so, or simply to buy items that would not be on their list of articles to acquire. The situation correlates. The inhabitants of the world experience a certain ecstasy as a result of the time off from school or work, and they seem to think that anything is possible because their routine has changed for the time being. People then tend to forget that a reality check will come. Later, indeed, but it will materialize. In the meantime, they buy anything and everything that they can afford to whether the cash inflow or their credit card limits allows them to. It does not matter much the medium of exchange used to pay for the items that captivate their attention at the store.
The holidays are indeed an opportunity to enjoy an extended period of time with the family. This is proven by those who cannot wait for the holidays because otherwise it seems close to impossible to enjoy a sunset drinking hot chocolate while conversing with the other members of the family that have not been seen in months. Yet, that is not their sole purpose since those same people who enjoy a conversation with the family over hot chocolate, also take trips to the nearest mall in order to make purchases together as means of spending precious moments with the much missed family in order to make sure they do not forego the sales.
Are holidays then really necessary for family bonding purposes, or is that only a contingency because the actual beneficiaries are the retailers, which can always find an excuse to make people spend money? The consumerist society that we inhabit suggests that deriving family time from holidays is only part of a long forgotten instinct. If the need presented itself, there would not be any event whether work or school that would interfere with spending time with the family that we seem to miss so much when the holidays arrive. Then, family time is only an attempt to purge the guilt for the money unnecessarily splurged because we are easily influence by publicity but not by those who have spent most of their lives at our side.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
It is, indeed, difficult to reach a consensus about this interrogative since there is evidence that supports both cases. The holidays serve an important role as far as family time is concerned. It is well known that during the holidays there usually is also vacation time, in most cases because there are certain occupations that do not allow for said leisure time. The time that would then otherwise be spent working or at school is projected towards other activities. Family tends to become the number one priority because it requires a considerable amount of attention and there is the free time for attending to familial necessities. This occurs whether it is only one day off due to an obscure holiday or during the extensive winter holiday season. Thousands of students head home during holidays, as do thousands of people who have not been at home during the year due to their job location. This seems to suggest that family takes precedence to any other matters that could occupy the time of those who travel home during holidays.
On the other hand, holidays are the days that report the greatest profits as well as the times during which most companies or retailers offer items at reduced prices. Is it a coincidence that this happens during holidays? Of course, it is not. It is rather a plan to persuade people to buy more of which they would otherwise not do so, or simply to buy items that would not be on their list of articles to acquire. The situation correlates. The inhabitants of the world experience a certain ecstasy as a result of the time off from school or work, and they seem to think that anything is possible because their routine has changed for the time being. People then tend to forget that a reality check will come. Later, indeed, but it will materialize. In the meantime, they buy anything and everything that they can afford to whether the cash inflow or their credit card limits allows them to. It does not matter much the medium of exchange used to pay for the items that captivate their attention at the store.
The holidays are indeed an opportunity to enjoy an extended period of time with the family. This is proven by those who cannot wait for the holidays because otherwise it seems close to impossible to enjoy a sunset drinking hot chocolate while conversing with the other members of the family that have not been seen in months. Yet, that is not their sole purpose since those same people who enjoy a conversation with the family over hot chocolate, also take trips to the nearest mall in order to make purchases together as means of spending precious moments with the much missed family in order to make sure they do not forego the sales.
Are holidays then really necessary for family bonding purposes, or is that only a contingency because the actual beneficiaries are the retailers, which can always find an excuse to make people spend money? The consumerist society that we inhabit suggests that deriving family time from holidays is only part of a long forgotten instinct. If the need presented itself, there would not be any event whether work or school that would interfere with spending time with the family that we seem to miss so much when the holidays arrive. Then, family time is only an attempt to purge the guilt for the money unnecessarily splurged because we are easily influence by publicity but not by those who have spent most of their lives at our side.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
A Possible Mask
Through out life, there is a question that always manifests itself one way or another, but it amounts more or less to asking who one is. The problem begins because being able to clearly advocate an identity is a very complicated issue. It requires not only time to figure out what that identity must be, but also energy to accept and establish it from within and then step in it and show it to the world.
As a child, one attempts to conceal who one really is in order to be accepted in a circle of friends that is in the process of being built. A mistake made from the beginning because one fails to understand that one can show oneself as one is since there is not anybody in that circle who already has a set idea of whom other people should be. Unconsciously, one hides those characteristics that one feels will not be accepted by those whom one associates oneself with it. At such age, one is unable to recognize what one is doing as positive or negative. It is automatic, even normal for the adults that surround the child. But in reality, it is abnormal because from an early age one builds the idea that one is not good enough as one is to form part of a group of people. One feels as though one does not fit, so one tries to fit. Then, as one moves on to adolescence, one moves on to the conscious concealment of those traits of one’s personality that one judges as unacceptable for others as well as those features of one’s life that do not fit in to what one wants to portray. At this time, one does not only feel as if one is unfit for having a relationship with certain groups of people, but one seems to be sure that if one does not change a certain mold, then one would not be acknowledged. As a result, one becomes an image of whom one thinks others would accept one for, which means that over time one might successfully cover up one’s true identity. One is not longer who one was when one first stepped into the preschool classroom, rather one is a combination of who one thinks one is and who one thinks other people want one to be. There is always the question of who can one be also present. At times, the inquiry is not about whether one wants to be someone, but who can one afford to be.
The passage of time makes this issue more difficult to clarify. Every step one takes along the way, takes one further inside a labyrinth from which one might not be able to walk out. One becomes entangled in one’s own creation that one forgets who one really is underneath all the layers of representation one wears. Besides the internal modifications one makes in order to persuade oneself that one is whom the mirror reflects and not someone different hiding in the depth of the eyes the mirror also reflects, which are ultimately reflected externally, there are also physical changes that are in turn illustrated by one’s actions.
One of the most important physical changes that can take place is relocation across an international border. Such change raises many questions that were not previously present and simply complicate more the idea of who one is. The quest for identity now takes on a political side. Now one must also consider the fact that other people judge one based on the color of one’s skin and the like. One finds so many different labels that did not exist on a formerly used vocabulary. But one ultimately finds oneself repeating what one did as a child: constantly trying to become. The story replays itself. Whether one has come across a border as a child or as an adult, does not matter because one endeavors into acquiring the suitable characteristics through which one will be accepted at the different location. It does not help that one never really knew who one was because it has always been hidden.
One must learn to not be afraid to show one’s true identity because with or without the mask, one will always be criticized and judged unworthy at times. Yet, if one’s identity is concealed, one could simply become a bad replica of what others wish one to be. Thus, forgetting whom one is, which ultimately renders one as nonexistent.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
As a child, one attempts to conceal who one really is in order to be accepted in a circle of friends that is in the process of being built. A mistake made from the beginning because one fails to understand that one can show oneself as one is since there is not anybody in that circle who already has a set idea of whom other people should be. Unconsciously, one hides those characteristics that one feels will not be accepted by those whom one associates oneself with it. At such age, one is unable to recognize what one is doing as positive or negative. It is automatic, even normal for the adults that surround the child. But in reality, it is abnormal because from an early age one builds the idea that one is not good enough as one is to form part of a group of people. One feels as though one does not fit, so one tries to fit. Then, as one moves on to adolescence, one moves on to the conscious concealment of those traits of one’s personality that one judges as unacceptable for others as well as those features of one’s life that do not fit in to what one wants to portray. At this time, one does not only feel as if one is unfit for having a relationship with certain groups of people, but one seems to be sure that if one does not change a certain mold, then one would not be acknowledged. As a result, one becomes an image of whom one thinks others would accept one for, which means that over time one might successfully cover up one’s true identity. One is not longer who one was when one first stepped into the preschool classroom, rather one is a combination of who one thinks one is and who one thinks other people want one to be. There is always the question of who can one be also present. At times, the inquiry is not about whether one wants to be someone, but who can one afford to be.
The passage of time makes this issue more difficult to clarify. Every step one takes along the way, takes one further inside a labyrinth from which one might not be able to walk out. One becomes entangled in one’s own creation that one forgets who one really is underneath all the layers of representation one wears. Besides the internal modifications one makes in order to persuade oneself that one is whom the mirror reflects and not someone different hiding in the depth of the eyes the mirror also reflects, which are ultimately reflected externally, there are also physical changes that are in turn illustrated by one’s actions.
One of the most important physical changes that can take place is relocation across an international border. Such change raises many questions that were not previously present and simply complicate more the idea of who one is. The quest for identity now takes on a political side. Now one must also consider the fact that other people judge one based on the color of one’s skin and the like. One finds so many different labels that did not exist on a formerly used vocabulary. But one ultimately finds oneself repeating what one did as a child: constantly trying to become. The story replays itself. Whether one has come across a border as a child or as an adult, does not matter because one endeavors into acquiring the suitable characteristics through which one will be accepted at the different location. It does not help that one never really knew who one was because it has always been hidden.
One must learn to not be afraid to show one’s true identity because with or without the mask, one will always be criticized and judged unworthy at times. Yet, if one’s identity is concealed, one could simply become a bad replica of what others wish one to be. Thus, forgetting whom one is, which ultimately renders one as nonexistent.
xoxo,
Poison Drops
©Copyrighted 2008
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