- Andrew Terrence Smyth
If you have watched the 1997 "Men in Black" movie, then you would catch one of my favorite quotes of all time:
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it."
- Agent K
This sums up my view of the world. What does this mean?
Short answer- don't trust strangers.
Long answer- Do not assume that when you call for help, people will help you. This is because the average "one of the people" is most often ignorant to others when called upon to do his/her part. Said one of the people lacks a basic sense of humanity in favor of self-centeredness and personal gain.
Case and point, charity. How often do see a commercial in the middle of watching "Jersey Shore" about sick cats and dogs missing an eyeball, waiting for someone to save them from the hourly beatings of their (likely) alcoholic, irresponsible master? For me, it is quite often... except for the "watching Jersey Shore" part. Anyway, forget for a moment that these particular commercials appeal to guilt-tripping their viewers into getting money for their cause. Forget that. Instead, focus on why these commercials exist in the first place. There are people who are sick enough to neglect, abandon, beat or even kill a helpless animal. This is my immediate proof that 'people' exist.
Whenever I say 'people', I mean 'BAD people'.
So, why trust persons? They're people too, right? Let me be clear. In this blog, I will never type the word "people" in a positive context (look at the bold, underlined statement above staring at you). On the opposite side, you have...
Persons: a specific group of individuals.
The reason why I love persons is because they are names and faces. They are my friends and family. They are personalities that I can personally identify with. They are persons, therefore I share humanity with them.
For more subject matter on personhood and sense of humanity, I recommend listening to "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson. This song perfectly portrays a decision to take a positive change and an active role in everyday life. Here is a link to one of my personal favorite performances of this song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwu3D-Luo-E
To relate this back to manhood and maturity, it's painfully clear. People don't pass the maturity test; persons do. We can learn a thing or two from certain persons in our lives, so we would do well to listen to the persons we can trust, whomever that may be.
What I learned today, in terms of my own personal growth, are these:
- Don't trust strangers
- Do your best to make a positive effect on the world around you
- Michael Jackson is still the king of pop
- Who is your 'man in the mirror'?
- Am I wrong to believe that people are "dumb, panicky, dangerous animals"?
Considering I hate MJ, I'll simply answer the second question. The long and short of it is that the distinction you make between people and persons may leave one with insight into why 'people' are bad. You understand persons, and their motivations for their (sometimes unsavory) actions. These allow you to justify that which would otherwise be considered indecent, or even cruel.
ReplyDeleteFor example, think of the distinction between attacking someone and defending yourself. In both cases, there's violence. However, in the latter, it is understood that one party was merely acting to take care of itself. That understanding is the distinction.
Just my two cents.
That said, I totally agree, many *people* are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals.
Thank you for your input. That was very insightful of you, and very much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteYes!
ReplyDeleteOur quote!
:D