Proud Of Nothing

People will get proud over anything. Even those that have nothing to be proud of will somehow find themselves becoming proud of something. It’s rather amazing really. When you stop to think about it, none of us really has anything to be proud of.

There are a wide variety of things that pride is claimed. I think that the most ridiculous ones are those things over which we have no control. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Nationalism/Patriotism/Geographic devotion

   This is rampant around the world and throughout all of time. However, it’s rather silly to be proud of where you come from simply because that’s where you came from, don’t you think? Sure it’s a great way to connect to people when you first meet them, but how much do you really have to be proud of if you grew up somewhere? Usually it’s not too much.

   I think that perhaps the only thing that I could understand about this is if one had to grow up in a difficult environment. It shapes a person to be able to grow up in that type of surrounding. But for all of those people who are proud of where they grew up, what country they were born in, what their heritage is, and so on, you better rethink it. Because you had no hand in that.

   And to think that people get into wars over this issue all of the time is mind boggling. You mean to tell me that you hate that guy because of where he was born? But he had no control over that, he didn’t choose to be born there!

2. Height

   Have you met people who were proud of their height? I think that might be one of the most ridiculous things ever because you absolutely have no control over your height. You can lose or gain weight, have plastic surgery to fix your looks, and any number of things to modify your physical appearance.

   But what can you do about your height? Diddly squat, I do believe. Unless you have that limb lengthening surgery. Anyways, once again you have no control over how tall you are/will be. You can hope for good genes, but it’s much more impressive to just be able to deal with those that you’ve been given. And better yet, it’s impressive to be able to overlook (no pun intended) it in others.

3. Discovering Music Artists/Clothing Brands

   I mean really? You’re going to be proud of the fact that you found out about a band before anyone else did? You had no hand in their success. You’re not playing bass or pounding those drums for them. All you did was take a little listen.

   Okay sure, it’s very nice that you spend the time and try out different artists than the popular fare served up to the masses. Maybe you even spent a little bit of money to try them out. But when the band becomes popular, if you find yourself bringing up the fact that you listened to them for years, I’ll have you know that I think that you’re a lame-o.

   Same thing goes for clothing brands (and probably a slew of other things). You’re not making the clothes, you’re just buying a sweater. $20 bucks. You daredevil you.

4. Age

   Whether you’re young or old, what can you really say about your age? It won’t change a lick no matter what you do. You can lie about it, you can deceive others by changing your appearance, but this is an absolute in this world that you have no control over.

   I think it’s so interesting when people see their age as something to be proud of. In the past I’ve seen it because people think that they’re immediately wiser for the simple fact that they’ve lived more days. I grant them that it’s generally true that wisdom comes with age. But isn’t that usually more like decades of experience?

   Growing up in school, I was meeting people with years or less worth more days who thought that they were somehow wiser than I. I thought (and still do) think that is just ludicrous. It’s like they can’t find anything to be proud of so they just grasp for something that nobody can change. How about instead of doing that we go out and actually gain some of that useful wisdom by getting a life, huh?

5. Salvation

   Well I’m a Christian. Maybe you knew that, maybe you didn’t. Now you do. Anyways, I’ve got a bone to pick with those people that speak of their salvation with an air of superiority, as if they did anything at all except believe. This might stir up the pot a little bit, but there isn’t much that separates you from that unsaved guy next to you. I boast in Jesus Christ, too, but He did the work, not I. I just said, “Yes, I’ll believe.”

You Have To Love Irony

Well I saw something the other day that struck me as ironic. It was a car with many bumper stickers. Now that in and of itself is not necessary ironic. (Unless of course you’re driving a nice car with ugly stickers on it as I commented in Sell Your Porsche.) But there was a bumper sticker of an Israeli flag, and there was a license plate frame that was from Hillcrest Christian School. How does that work?

You know, I could very well be wrong because it might not be that ironic after all. They could just be Jews for Jesus. And that would be quite nice. I would have liked to have met them.

Unnecessary Incentive

Now passing judgment on people is not always good as we all know. Of course people nowadays want there to be no judgments whatsoever. And let’s be honest, that doesn’t really make any sense at all. It makes about as much sense as getting rid of the court system, doesn’t it?

Well I saw something today, and it is a case that definitely makes me think about some judgment passing. Read the rest of this entry »

Superbowl

So I’m sure that there are many entries out in the blog world about the exciting moments from the Superbowl, funny commercials, and numerous other topics. This one is more important.
Read the rest of this entry »

Cheaters 4 Life

This is something that happens nearly everyday. And yet we live with it. Cheaters are in our midst, dear friends. And I’m going to spend a few minutes to let my thoughts leave my head and enter yours.

So everyday I drive to and from work. Now that’s normal, but I am mostly troubled in the morning. I am often stuck in traffic and I can see people speeding by in the carpool lane. Now don’t get me wrong, I am all for having a carpool lane and rewarding those who are willing to sacrifice some freedom (by having to deal with multiple people in the same car) in order to conserve gas. That’s just fine. But what Read the rest of this entry »