The Cost of Morals

"I'm gonna break your face!"

This is probably what my younger self would say to me if she saw me now.

When I was younger, I never thought that I'd put up with injustice.  To "let bygones be bygones" is one thing, but it's another to let people do things that are blatantly immoral or illegal (or both) to you.  Through the eyes of a child, when everything in the world looks more black and white than in shades of grey, there's no reason to allow things like this to happen.

But then...the bills need paying, the professors need a good impression of you, and the landlord needs to be kept happy.  You find yourself sucking up to people or doing more work for less pay or letting it slide when a superior insults you, because you know that it will cost you something that you need to continue your lifestyle if you don't, like that good impression or this month's rent.  As an adult, you begin to feel that letting your morals slide is "just part of how the world works".

Is that really how it has to be?  Does a person have to lose everything if they operate based on their principles?

There are supposed to be laws set up to protect the underdogs, like the employees in an employer-employee relationship, but they often "cost" a person even more than the above-mentioned sacrifices.  Lawyer's fees?  A lost job (and in this economy)?  The continued battle for a court date that the employer can afford to put off, but you can't?  It's easier for a person to let these things slide or fight it at their own meager level of influence, even if doing so could still costs them decreased pay or losing their job.  The justice system, although it seems well-meaning, simply isn't a practical option for lower or middle-class citizens (which includes the majority of people).  Even laws meant to prevent unfair practices aren't carefully enforced, which means they rely on this "I'm telling on you" system of lawsuits that most people can't afford.

And without the justice system as an option, the average person is left with one choice: to give up their personal sense of justice, or to pay some high price for keeping it.

If the younger me had known the price that morals come with, she would definitely think twice before making that choice.  I'm still not sure which she would choose.

To Be, Or Not To Be (Walked All Over)?

To be nice, or to be strong?
People instinctively view that as the choice they're forced to make.  I've been there before, and I've seen others who view it the same way.  I've caught myself thinking (and heard other people saying) that:

"I'd love to be a nice person, but if I'm going to be walked all over for it, I'd rather be tough and not have as many people like me."

But do we really have to pick only one of those options?  Do we have to come across as douchebags and jerks in order to keep people from taking advantage of our generosity?  I don't think so.  A person can be very kind to their friends only (for instance, because I trust mine not to take advantage, I will do things for them even before they ask).  It's a different story, though, when it comes to coworkers or strangers.  I've learned through countless of my own experiences that I can't afford to give strangers or mere acquaintances that much leeway because they so often abuse it.

Do I come across as a jerk?  Hmm...probably, at times.  But I think that some people do make judgments between "being a jerk" and "looking out for yourself".  And for those who don't?  If I'm not close enough to trust them, I'm not close enough to care how they view me, and that's pretty much all there is to say.

Walks Are Good For You

1) You have time to listen to music on the mp3 player of your choice, whether it's your favorite band or you're listening to someone new!

2) Your heart rate gets up and your body's moving, which almost always feels good.

3) Good exercise.

4) You have time to think about things and let your mind wander.  For me, it can be a fantastic source of inspiration as well.

5) Getting out of the house can be cathartic (if you're as messy as I am)!

ABCs

A.   Age: (in college)

B.    Bed size: Unknown!

C.   Chore you hate: Washing dishes.  (It makes my hands dry, and plus, doing it at work makes me sick of it.)

D.   Dogs: It completely depends on the breed!  And the friendliness, and the level of training.

E.   Essential start to your day: Breakfast.  I pretty much always wake up ravenous.

F.  Favorite color: Crap, this one's hard.  I like black, blue and purple a lot.  And green.

G.  Gold or silver: Silver, always!  I strongly dislike gold.

H.  Height: Approximately 5'7"

I.   Instruments you play: Piano and flute.

J.   Job title: Delivery Driver.

K.  Kids: None.

L.  Live: In the U.S.

M. Mom’s name: None-ya business!

N.  Nicknames: None are official, because they come on an individual basis.  My two main nicknames are each used by only one person!

O.  Overnight hospital stays: I don't remember, but I'm sure it's happened.

P.  Pet peeve: Bad drivers that make stupid decisions.

Q.  Quote from a movie: "You know how when you touch a boob, and it feels like a bag of sand...?" (bonus points if you tell me what movie that's from in the comments!)

R.  Righty or Lefty: I'm right-handed.

S.   Siblings: One brother, one sister.

T.   Time you wake up: 8:00ish on school days, any variety of times on other days like days off or work days.

U.   Underwear: A variety! ;)

V.    Vegetables you dislike: Most of them, really.  But I like potatoes. :)

W.   What makes you run late: Trying to take a few extra minutes at the end of my time to get ready.

X.    X-rays you’ve had: Multiples of my leg, etc.

Y.    Yummy food you make: Eggs/omelets.

Z.     Zoo animal favorite: Oooh, this one's a toughie...although zebras rank high!  And so do elephants.  It's been forever since I've been to the zoo...

Return Of The...Me

I've been such a naughty blogger lately!

Or, really, I haven't been a blogger at all.  It's just that I had this huge dose of "something" hit me.  It was a mix of "why am I writing this blog?" and "what do I really have to offer?" and "I don't really have any good blogging ideas right now, anyway".

But now I'm back.

It's not so much that I got answers to any of those questions (because I didn't), but the reading of various blogs I follow and a tiny bit of re-reading my own posts reminds me of the fun of it all.

What it comes down to is this:

Screw it.  I blog because I CAN.

So there.