"Everything everybody does is so — I don't know — not wrong, or even mean, or even stupid necessarily. The worst part is, if you go bohemian or something crazy like that, you're conforming just as much only in a different way" -J.D Salinger
Humans are put under this assumption that we're all nothing until we become something; is that something necessarily good? Does that something include nudity, fame, or money or does it include brains, morals, and deeds? Are you doing something right to prove to others that you're good? Who are you trying to prove? Who is it that we're all trying to impress? A boy? A parent? A teacher? Why? I know these questions are way too in depth for what I'm about to discuss, but that's what comes to my mind when I think of Locke's belief that all of us are just moral and decent beings trying to get by. I know there are some people we absolutely can't handle, whether it be that they're annoying, rude, "too nice"(some people refer to this as phony), obnoxious, or simply mean, but under all of what you see of them, they're so much like you. We all want to please our parents, our friends, the college committee, or even a sibling, but why do we think we're the only one? We believe that we're the only ones going through something traumatic, stressful, or heartbreaking, but in a world of 7 billion people, why do we think we're alone? We give other people labels or we have impressions of them, they do likewise, but we never really know what they've got going on, whether it be mentally, family-related, or academically, we give them labels that stick to our mind and never really go away. All those people are actually humans beings, they may want something different out of life, but does that mean they're wrong? What gives us the right to judge someone? What gives others the right to judge us? There is no right, you're not superior, but you're human. Think about this: does anyone do anything to hurt others or do they do it to protect themselves? We've all got morals, we've all got decency, but no one really sees that because they're too busy taking care of their morals and decency. It's still there, though.
Humans are put under this assumption that we're all nothing until we become something; is that something necessarily good? Does that something include nudity, fame, or money or does it include brains, morals, and deeds? Are you doing something right to prove to others that you're good? Who are you trying to prove? Who is it that we're all trying to impress? A boy? A parent? A teacher? Why? I know these questions are way too in depth for what I'm about to discuss, but that's what comes to my mind when I think of Locke's belief that all of us are just moral and decent beings trying to get by. I know there are some people we absolutely can't handle, whether it be that they're annoying, rude, "too nice"(some people refer to this as phony), obnoxious, or simply mean, but under all of what you see of them, they're so much like you. We all want to please our parents, our friends, the college committee, or even a sibling, but why do we think we're the only one? We believe that we're the only ones going through something traumatic, stressful, or heartbreaking, but in a world of 7 billion people, why do we think we're alone? We give other people labels or we have impressions of them, they do likewise, but we never really know what they've got going on, whether it be mentally, family-related, or academically, we give them labels that stick to our mind and never really go away. All those people are actually humans beings, they may want something different out of life, but does that mean they're wrong? What gives us the right to judge someone? What gives others the right to judge us? There is no right, you're not superior, but you're human. Think about this: does anyone do anything to hurt others or do they do it to protect themselves? We've all got morals, we've all got decency, but no one really sees that because they're too busy taking care of their morals and decency. It's still there, though.
Your questions that you posed in the beginning were excellent. I agree that in today's world fame is often the pinnacle of success, no matter what you have done to achieve that fame. What does this say about our society? I also think your last question was very poignant. Thanks for making me think!
ReplyDelete