So, there I was, having a conversation with the tradesman who’d just finished up some work round here, when he launched into, “I’m not a racist, but…”
Now, let’s face it, you don’t want to come across as ungrateful after a job well done. So, you prepare to just nod along for politeness sake, just going, “Hm hm. Oh yeah, really? Hmm hm.” Just to get it over with as fast as possible. I figured he just wanted to unload some of his frustrations, so I’d let him speak his mind for a second, while pretending to listen. After which I’d kindly show him the door. Doesn’t this feel like one of those family gatherings?
Anyways, he went into the classic spiel of foreigners driving around in fancy BMWs. First of all, where are all these BMW drivers? Because I’ve been driving for about ten years, and I’m not seeing too many around here. Besides, who’s got time to drive and racially profile every BMW owner they pass by anyways? It’s sheer lunacy, but it didn’t stop there. He was convinced the immigrants and jobless were milking the system, leaving him high and dry. How so? Well, it turns out he’s looked into his upcoming retirement payments, and it will be about a third of what he’s making right now. “And I’ve been busting my ass since fourteen years old!”
During this whole conversation, it felt like he was reading from a script he’d memorised, dishing it out to anyone who would listen. At some point he mentioned his pension is going to be around €1400. Okay, if you do the math and times that by three – or maybe just double it, if he’s stretching the truth – you get a sense of his current monthly income. Not bad at all, honestly. So don’t tell me immigrants are at fault, when you’re not setting aside enough dough yourself for a better retirement, just counting on the government to take care of it all. Hey, I’m all for folks having a comfortable retirement, but the point here is, it’s way easier to point fingers at immigrants than to take a hard look in the mirror.
Let’s keep it real. This is all wrapped up in the guise of “political discussion”, but in reality, it’s just a form of self-pity. It’s making up excuses why you don’t have everything you want in life. And while this is a right-leaning example, the same thing happens on the left side of the spectrum.
If you’re a George Carlin fan, you might’ve noticed others (or yourself) repeat his lines, “You and I aren’t part of the big club.” Yeah? So that’s your excuse why your life isn’t going well? The big club? Are they here with us, in the room? I know, I know, I’m being a bit of a —- about it. But if you keep blaming the big club, you won’t go far in life. It leads to whole lot of apathy in your day-to-day.
See how this mindset can take root and mess with your life? And it’s not just Carlin; political YouTubers and podcasters play their part too. It seeps into your ears and it gets to you.
What I’m saying is, why not choose a different narrative to carry around? One that gives you a bit more control over how your life unfolds, instead of just blaming others. Some look for answers in the self-help world, but if that seems a bit too fluffy, consider checking out Greek philosophy, particularly stoicism. That’s where the self-help crowd gets a lot of their ideas anyways.
Speaking of which, let me get back to Carlin. Sure, I was giving him a hard time a bit earlier, but truth be told, he was quite the dedicated writer. The guy was a relentless collector of ideas, piecing them together with care and figuring out the best way to serve them to his audience. Let’s set aside the words he spoke for a moment and focus on his actions. The essence boils down to this: hone your skills, stay authentic, and let the world see what you’ve got. Oh, and by the way, if this “big club” he talked about really existed, it sure didn’t stop Carlin from carving out his own success, now, did it? Food for thought.
Yours truly
Vincent J. Dancet