Sometimes you just have to sack up and pick a side. Be it in regards to your personal relationships or when its time to stand up for your core beliefs. I see a lot of wishy washy, namby pamby, bullshit these days. People and by people I mean my contemporaries just not picking a side. Trying to play all sides off the middle when it comes to the personal relationships with their love ones, their colleagues.. their congressman. Waiting until their hand is forced and they are left with no options but the one of least resistance. It’s hardly standing up and making choices when you let yourself be backed into a corner because it’s easier to let things happen to you. Like when you wash a kitchen floor but forget to leave yourself an exit plan to get out of the kitchen. You stand there washed into a corner, left holding a dirty mop and a bucket of dirty gross water.
Now to be fair In order to sack up and pick a side you have to understand your priorities, what your choices are or even where your loyalty lays. That can be a challenge for many and it really can be a challenge and takes a real effort to be aware if ALL your time is spent focusing on yourself and what you can get out of any given situation. If how to “get yous” is your number one priority, If you’re not taking the time to work on yourself, to learn to own your bullshit, to not be so self focused, to understand see how you interact with the world and how the world reacts to you in return. You cant pick a side. If you don’t pay attention you have to learn hard life lessons over and over and over.
I once knew a girl who’s house burned down, it was tragic, she lost everything. The people who cared about her pulled together gave her all they could and helped her rebuild her life so did people she didn’t know. Some even used their last free dollar to buy her the necessities of life she needed that had burned up. She was ungrateful and could hardly mutter a thank you. The only side she picked was her own. She felt as if the kindness of others and in some cases strangers was something she deserved and just a given. It didn’t take long before another home she owned burned to the ground. It was heartbreaking to see her lose everything for a second time. I only hope she understood the lessons this time, As i along with many were not there to help pick her back up a second time.
Sure taking care of your own needs and making a living is important. It should be a high priority but if it’s your only priority and If the only side you ever pick is your own and everything you do has an under tone of how to get people to “do for” then the lessons of life will be hard learned, much harder then they should be. Its just as important to hustle the rent as it is to be open to grow as a person. Giving back doesn’t have to be a grand gesture but if you never do it you will personally suffer.
I know this from personal experience and i have suffered but over time i have learned to pick a side. I have paid attention and sorted things out and I know what matters. As a result i do things everyday to give back (albeit small things) To give back to my community of sex workers, to my friends and family and to my country…
Now, go vote thats an easy way to give back.