keeping up with jones

i'd rather die than conform. open my veins on the bathroom floor.
this blog is supposed to piss you off.
i want this entry to play an unfair game of open chest with you.

my brother, @tonyp_ said it - and i retweet it all the time: "i did not get to where i am by walking with losers." and because of that, i thank God every morning i wake up that i am unable to spot a loser when i see one.

okay okay okay - it's not really that simple. see - losers look like everybody else. they have the bags under their eyes and their backs hurt and their hands are calloused - but they have nothing to show for any of those things.
the bags under my eyes mean i was up for 36 hours proving to the world that there are enough hours in a day.
the back pain and calloused hands come from carrying too much weight. mostly the weight of those who've given up years ago at the first sign of struggle. those few with cinderblock walls and smiles on their faces.
the few who, in my opinion, would have been much better off taking themselves out years ago.
but they smile like i smile - but only one of use smiles at freedom.

-----

at this moment: 8:25pm PST - i am no longer offering my respect to those who've become products of their environment. it is only offered to those who've become products of their thoughts.

the lazy and content say "you don't know what i've been through"
the survivors say "i don't look like what i've been through."

-----

and the story goes:
the man had been watching the birds for a while. he recognized which bird among the flock was the strongest, and he captured it. he wanted to admire the bird whenever he'd come to the park, so he painted the bird a different color than the rest of his flock so they, too, would recognize him as the strong - different than them.

then he released the bird to be back with his flock.
as the bird flew back toward his flock - his flock flew towards him, recognizing him as different and now an intruder - and they killed him.

the end.

create your own lesson learned - your moral - your conclusion of that story.

-----

#fact: i sometimes feel like giving up on my goal to educate, inform, enlighten the people.
yeah, some are elevated - but that's one of thousands that won't.
and when i speak out against ignorance - the dumbing down of society - or trying to give "the people" the pill that will free them from the machine - they call me a hater.

definition of hater: knowing what the truth is.

ah well. but i said i feel like giving up sometimes. but i never will. it feels too good when the mentee becomes the role model.

-----

i don't look like what i've been through:

-----