Not part of any group
I am volunteering for The Venus Project for the past few years but I never felt myself as a TVP Supporter or Activist. Why ?
When I was 12 I had a favorite football (soccer) team. I never missed any game. I had a t-shirt with my favorite player and my emotions were so high when they played. I remember that other friends of mine liked other rival teams and sometimes, when my favorite team played with their favorite team we’ve got into an argument. They always said “we deserved that penalty shot”, “we were better than you”, and so on. And I never understood why they say “we”, why they felt so part of those teams as to say “we”. They didn’t play obviously so why say that ? I never said “we”, I always said “my favorite team played better than yours”, but never “we”.
What I realized is that although I loved that team, I had distanced myself enough from it to be able to not be completely blind and so, when for instance there was a penalty shot for the adverse team and the referee didn’t accorded it, I was able to admit that it was actually a penalty shot and it was unfair for the adverse team.
And that’s the point.
I actually made this bookshot entitled “Harmful Thinking” especially for this kind of subject. You should read it is really important for all of us to be aware when we are emotionally entangled.
I do not want to create my self-image around any group or idea because, if I do so, I am prone to be biased, and erroneous thinking. It is better to look at things from outside their own limitations. For instance if someone comes up with a better project than TVP, I will go for that and volunteer for that project instead of TVP.
I eat many vegetables but I do not consider myself a “vegetarian”. I do not believe in any gods, but I am not an “atheist”. And I love science but I am not a “geek”. Those definitions that evolved into categories, in my view, are more detrimental than helpful. Sure may be a pleasant feeling to be part of the vegan group and meet with your vegan friends, but that with surely make you biased to hear arguments against “being vegan”. This will harm you and mislead you. And that goes for any such group.
I never smoked or drunk alcohol, although I tried that a few times, and I always heard people saying :”So you aren’t a smoker, isn’t it ?”, and I was like…well, isn’t that you are the “smoker” and I am just me ? People define now what you are not ? Isn’t this completely ridiculous ? Because there are so many things I am not.
I do not understand why I should declare myself as being this or that….I am just a human being and that’s not even a definition or a category because I have no clue what a human being really is.
Don’t limit yourself by following a group of people or a leader. I rarely give quotes, only when it is necessary and serve as a “link” for people to know more about what I quote, but I always prefer to send a message regardless of who is saying it. I see many people posting on social networks lots of quotes, and I never read who was quoted, only the quote, because that is the essential part.
So I will travel through my life, tasting ideas and picking the most I find relevant and factual without feeling the need to be part of any group and have a ‘badge’ for that 😉
14 Replies to “Not part of any group”
“I don’t like ass kissers, flag wavers or team players. I like people who buck the system. Individualists. I often warn people: “Somewhere along the way, someone is going to tell you, ‘There is no “I” in team.’ What you should tell them is, ‘Maybe not. But there is an “I” in independence, individuality and integrity.’” Avoid teams at all cost. Keep your circle small. Never join a group that has a name. If they say, “We’re the So-and-Sos,” take a walk. And if, somehow, you must join, if it’s unavoidable, such as a union or a trade association, go ahead and join. But don’t participate; it will be your death. And if they tell you you’re not a team player, congratulate them on being observant.” – George Carlin
That was great!
Indeed. G.C. is a “genius” ;] That meaning he works better with words than us 😛
George Carlin was cynical and angry, his way of solving the problems he talks about was getting rid of all humans.
He talks about being a bad idea joining groups and teams simply because he does not care about changing anything in society.
If you listen too much to what he has to say, you might become too cynical to try helping society to move forward.
That’s just one interpretation of what he is saying. I still feel like I do not want to be part of any group, yet I am all for “helping society to move forward”
What do you think about Chaplin then? He did the same thing with different approach in different times – both are people that expose the truth and the way they do it shows who they are. I like Chaplin and I like Carlin. I listen to both of them and to a hole bunch of other people. Your statement is invalid. You wanna know why? Because we are fluctuating beings: sometimes cynical sometimes goofy or serious, or devoted etc. And for my down times boy there is no one better to listen to than George ;] But you are right in some sense for some guys that listen to only one man. Do you know how I call them? Religious people.
Carlin specifically talks about being cynical and not caring about the future of humans, and that is in quite a few of his tapes, dvd’s and TV specials.
My statement is invalid because he hanged his mind? I have no evidence that he had any other opinion about this, do you?
Here’s another view of your counter argument:
You can’t say that Hitler hated Jews and wanted them dead, because he might have changed his mind, even though I have no evidence to support that he did change his mind.
I don’t know anything about Chaplin’s views on such matters, so can’t comment on that.
First: George Carlin is an icon and he never pretended to be a messiah (if you search for solutions in a comedy show then you must be really naive) – end of story. Second: 2+2 sometimes equals “fish” like 3+3 equals 8. Third: try searching “george carlin interview” to get some intel on the man behind the comedy show and definitely check what others are saying about him (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLIwE9dRHDs) Last but not least – never judge – lurk moar.
Oh, and you really should watch “Modern Times” and “The Great Dictator” by Chaplin if you consider yourself worthy to judge icons. I hope I don’t hurt your feelings and I hope you won’t see yourself in the negative suggestions of this comment. I don’t know you and I always assume people tend to defend their first statements no matter how bizarre they sound but in my opinion the point of first statements is to get a connection and we have established one already so I hope you will reconsider after you gain some more information on the subject. Only this will truly make me happy and any other development will just make me more cynical and we all know you wouldn’t like it ;]
Random people on the Internet can’t possibly offend me. I don’t understand where this conversation is going or why you keep mentioning Chaplin, I have seen all of his movies and still have no idea why you randomly mentioned him.
Well then it’s time for me to summarize it for you:
1st – You say that listening to Carlin will make you cynical and you wont be able to make society move forward. I ask you what about if you listen to Chaplin and you reply you don’t know about his views on such matters, so I recommend you some of his best movies but then it becomes clear that you’ve seen them all.
So now I ask you: Well which one is it? You’ve seen the movies or you haven’t? Or you’ve seen them but you don’t make the connection between his movies and his views on society? If you don’t make this connection then how do you make the first one about Carlin? Or you’ve seen all of Chaplin’s movies and you know his views but you simply refuse to answer the simple question: If listening to Carlin makes you cynical then what about listening to Chaplin? What does he makes you?
2nd – Your “bomb” statement just shows more information about you and how you are affected by listening to other people plus your current “major issue” that is “helping society move forward”. Your comments so far are incomplete and childish. They are egocentric and follow only the personal side with which George Carlin, Charlie Chaplin and me in this conversation cover the deeper meaning to filter out guys like you. I throw an “ad hominem” hook and you bite it though the hole issue is beyond the personal. You have labeled yourself “a guy that moves society forward” but you use terms like “random people” meaning “average”, “ordinary” which shows your ego-centrism and your fear and denial of being one but your comments prove the opposite.
You’re just a guy that when listens to a cynic becomes cynical, when listens to a skeptic becomes skeptical, when he is poked pokes back and when he doesn’t listen or poking anybody becomes nobody. I am glad that you haven’t found a religious person to listen to but I can’t accept that you move society forward better than Carlin. Remember that you are commenting on Tio’s site – a guy that is exactly the opposite of what you are suggesting.
Someday maybe you will move society forward, I hope, but for now just finish high school and educate yourself more.
“Scratch any cynic and you will find a disappointed idealist.”
― George Carlin
Because the speech in the great dictator is not about about being angry that the world is going to shit, is not about waiting to die and hoping all humans die, it’s about helping one another and coming up with solutions.
If Chaplin is cynical, angry and thinks humans should fuck off the planet, this is personal information I don’t know about.
Nice.