I’ve come to believe that just about every person should have their own unique thoughts, feelings, perspectives and beliefs: the four aspects of a personality. In some folks, those 4 aspects might be stronger, and in others, it could be weaker. For example, I don’t have strong opinions about sports. I don’t care about sports. They don’t matter to me. Other people may have very strong opinions about sports because they care about it deeply. They act upon that deep care by communicating with their mouths and body language. They might even be angry or confused if another person, like me, doesn’t care about the thing they care so deeply about. Those folks may not know how to comprehend another person being different from themselves.
The differences in people have existed for as long as humans have occupied this planet. Disagreements, debates, arguments, controversies, and altercations have been happening every moment of every day since the beginning of human life. They will continue for hundreds, if not thousands, of years in the future, as long as humans have the ability to communicate. This contrasting divergence will never stop; there will always be at least two people who are at odds with one another. I know for a fact that will never change.
Personal History
I’ve had many of these types of encounters in my 46 years of being a human being with thoughts, feelings, perspectives and beliefs. In fourth grade, I disagreed with the girl sitting next to me about the existence of God. When I was 23, I had an altercation with the pastor of a church about my conduct as an employee. Almost every day, I have a difference of opinion about traffic rules and laws with other drivers. My definition of driving respectfully differs from other drivers. There number of examples are too great to count.
However, there are two specific instances of disagreement which really push my buttons. They don’t just make me frustrated, they spark a rage in me like a match to a gas can. When these types of infuriating altercations happen, it makes me want to yell, use colorful language and destroy shit. Allow me to explain in greater detail.
Why so angry?
Recently, a business owner asked me to make a logo for his t-shirt business. He provided examples and directed me to use them as inspiration. Even though he has a very prescribed way of proceeding, I’ve designed logos for many businesses over the past 20 years and know the proper way to develop a design.
- Step one: pencil sketches. They’re low-fidelity ways to crank out ideas fast.
- Digitization: scan the drawings or take pictures, put them in the computer and use an illustration application to adjust.
- Final Design: choose three variations of logos, fine tune them and present to the client.
After sending this client my initial sketches, he responded by telling me the exact way to illustrate the graphic, the position of it and the level of simplicity. Upon telling him I would honor his request with the first option and providing my creative vision for the other two, he instructed me to only focus 100% of my time on his vision because it is based upon a vision from God. I was told this logo was a “spiritual journey” and the client needed to stay true to it.
You gotta be kidding me
Hold on. Wait a minute. Did this motherfucker just give me orders as if God Himself spoke them into existence? Did he speak with authority which hath descended from the Almighty? About a fucking logo!? Who in the hell does this asshole think he is!?
This is a man who wants what he wants and will go to the furthest extreme to get it. Our opinions about the work differed, so he used and abused the highest authority imaginable, mistaking his own voice for God’s, resulting in my immediate compliance to his direct orders. To win an argument, he played the highest card he possibly could, knowing that it was impossible for me to refute it. These actions don’t simply get me hot under the collar, they make me absolutely livid. Why? Because a human is wrongfully using an imaginary superpower against another human for selfish purposes. This person literally thinks that a deity is guiding him and speaking through him, which gives him the power to make a series of ridiculous demands.
Is this the first time this has happened? Absolutely not. Repeated religious wrongdoings and atrocities are committed daily, and have been for centuries. Human beings have manipulated, cheated, lied, stolen, fornicated and killed all in the name of God, and by any stretch of the imagination, will continue to do so until the general public finally stops believing in such silly nonsense. All my life, Christians have continued to misuse the name of God for their own greedy desires. Ultimately, the reason behind it all is power and control. That’s what makes me so mad. I don’t believe one human has the right to take control of another, by any means. Something has to be done about this loathsome and reprehensible behavior.
Overbearing Tyrants
There are certain individuals that love to nit-pick every detail of every word anyone says, in the hopes that they may find a flaw because they absolutely love it when they have the ability to prove they’re right and the other person is wrong. It makes them feel high and mighty. The smugness and the pretentiousness of it drives me insane. I will admit that I very much enjoy being right, and I love using multiple pieces of evidence to prove I’m right, but only when someone else is either lying or making an unfounded claim about me.
There was an online discussion I started recently, and in the comments, random strangers attempted to tell me what they assumed my thoughts were, what my actions and motivations were, and after they were done throwing insult after insult at me, they had the audacity to allege I was an overly-emotional hypocrite who was completely insane. They pushed me off the edge and on my way down, they blamed me for falling.
Let me state this clearly: no one can ever tell me what I’m thinking. There is no person or supernatural force that has ever, or will ever, know exactly how I’m feeling. If I’ve ever said something, done something, or acted in a particular way, there isn’t a single, solitary soul on this earth that can explain why with 100% accuracy. No one can tell me who I am. Another human being cannot dictate their rules on my life. If I say that I did this or that, and another individual tells me, “No, you didn’t” simply because they’re presuming I’m mistaken, I will fight to the death to prove them wrong. I will kick, scream, rip, tear, maim, kill and destroy to prove that person is full of bullshit.
Fight Back
Standing up for oneself isn’t easy. Apparently, there are some members of society who have placed rules on the appropriateness of how one retaliates. I don’t pay attention to those rules.
The world is full of bossy, oppressive know-it-all’s and each of them have the most gargantuan superiority complex you’ve ever seen, but I will never accept their arrogant domination. If life gives you lemons, give them back. Nobody said you had to take the lemons. Fuck those lemons.
Isn’t it funny how narcissistic dictators will deny, divert, belittle, and blame when you shut them down and call them out on their egotistical self-worship? And isn’t it funny how the oppressed, mistreated peasants are shamed, mocked and condemned as payback for standing up and proving the truth? Those conceited assholes will always try to restrict, regulate and repress you. They’ve gotten away with it previously because too many people have let them. Weak-willed people will always run screaming from the threat of repercussion. Cowards will always kowtow to those who assert authority. No matter the consequence, we cannot be wrongly persecuted any longer.
I am a peace-loving man, but if anyone attempts to take dominion over me by any means, I will defend and return fire at all costs.
