Once again Stephanie at Be Kind Rewrite has invoked another short piece of fiction from me with her weekly prompts, Inspiration Monday V.
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Don’t Believe Everything You Think
I’m a real people person. I think everybody is entitled to their way of life, no matter what. When people do bad things, it’s not their fault and it’s not fair to judge them. Who says they’re bad anyway? It’s our birthright as humans to act in any way we wish. Who are we to tell people how to behave? Sheesh!
Why should people have to follow some dumb law they didn’t make? We don’t need laws, we need complete freedom to do as we please, it’s a free country! And any religion has the right to practice any level of it they want, in any venue—it’s their religion and we must respect that.
Everybody deep down has a good heart. When we think people are mean or hypocritical or phony, that’s just their nature. It’s wrong to have expectations of people! We should strive to be accepting of every single person or group, and help them express themselves in any way we can.
The kids that killed that dog and hung it from a flagpole in town last year are so misunderstood, they were just having a little fun! And the hoarder in Phoenix who had 200 starving dogs in her house, each to his own! Jesus, people, have some compassion!
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Find an Outlet 
Turning the world upside down, giving it a good shake, then showing us what falls out. Courageously written, an uniquely presented was my first thought upon reading.
I was impressed by how you wrote this = in a compassion-less bland voice. For me, it reads like a preamble to a much larger, longer story. A story of ‘how’ rather then ‘why’. Believing everything you think without compassion is the story of ‘How to be Insensitive’. You compelled me to pause, stare and think and question. It’s interesting how the line between Fiction and Realty is sometimes blurry. Are people dumb? or Are they just numb?
As a story – it is reminiscent of a warning sign stuck in the sand. ‘Don’t believe’ mirrors ‘Don’t Go There’. Powerful writing, and I thank you!
I think a lot of people direct their compassion toward the wrong issues. They champion causes that end up hurting others under the guise of “rights.” They don’t think things through and don’t consider the consequences of their beliefs.
Thanks for reading and responding.
D.
I actually know people who think like that. They’re called shrinks. Of course, they would probably blame someone’s mother, or potty-training. Great post, but that is horrible about the dogs.
Exactly, Ann, exactly.
I just checked the date on this post…April 1st?
the last para gave it away
“The kids that killed that dog and hung it from a flagpole in town last year are so misunderstood, they were just having a little fun! And the hoarder in Phoenix who had 200 starving dogs in her house, each to his own! Jesus, people, have some compassion!!
PiP 🙂
No, nothing to do with April first, that’s one of those days I refuse to acknowledge because it’s so mean and not funny.
It was about my true beliefs, which are opposite of the post.
I sometimes think people hide behind the idea of compassion under any circumstance more because of fear – fear of confrontation, fear of being called something they’re not, fear of just speaking the truth sometimes.
Once again, great story that rings of truth.
There’s no compassion in anarchy. And if people are fearful they should say so instead of defending mean assholes because they have rights, don’t you think? Thanks for checking in!
Even though I was waiting and prepared for the ZINGER at the end you got me right between the eyes like I never even saw it coming. Sort of lulled me to sleep and then WHAM!
How do you do that Debra?
Eons and generations of human culture have formed civilization with all its rules and regulations. It’s nowhere near perfect, nor likely ever will be, but it does provide us with a general backdrop to which we can refer, I think we might call it human decency. Too bad some forget that.
Thanks Bill. I was afraid I would be misinterpreted.
The people who believe in total latitude to do as they please still lock their doors, don’t they. Why bother? Isn’t locking your doors judgmental?
Because deep down they know that lack of human decency is rampant. There’s a huge difference between “liberty” and lawlessness.
we do have civil libertarians in this country but when it comes to people doing what they want — smoking in apartment buildings is the latest issue — they’re fighting a losing battle. in this country more and more people are prosecuted for animal cruelty and lately a few have been imprisoned — only for fifteen months in some cases but its happening and the message is loud and clear: ABUSE ANIMALS AND YOU WILL BE PROSECUTED
I hope that’s true. The problem is tracking them down, getting people to report them, and then following through. Many animal control officers, like the one we have here, are asleep on the job. Impossible to reach. How did this woman ever accumulate 200 dogs without someone reporting her much sooner?
I often check the help wanted ads in the local paper (it’s about a half a column long). A much longer column is the dreaded dog breeders selling purebred puppies—when 4 million animals a year are euthanized in shelters in the US.
An animal rescue friend here told me about a volunteer she knew in Virginia who took the needle and euthanized herself. She couldn’t take it anymore.
Pitbull fighting is widely practiced here on the border and many other places in the world. In some countries it’s legal. They are very hard to track down and prosecute because it’s so secretive.
There’s just so much physical and mental anguish among living things that we must seek ways to alleviate it and stop cruelty. I know of so many animal rescuers that have to retreat for awhile and then go back in again. Things are as they are, I know, but I’m going to try and make it better. I’ll go back in again and again.
By the way, congratulations on being Freshly Pressed. As you wrote, the traffic picked up and some of it was just plain noise. You always present a good show, Debra. Hope all is well there.
Thanks Jack. We’re hanging in there by the seat of our pants as usual. But some new dictionary work just came in and there is nothing I enjoy more on this earth except dog kisses.
Sometimes you have to, you must, take a break from animal rescue or it will eat you alive. But then you have to deal with the guilt…you can’t win. When someone drops out because of depression other rescuers sometimes get mad at them, but that’s just a natural reaction of total frustration because they are so needed. Most come back eventually because it’s in them.
Always good to hear from you…take care.
Loved it!!!! And my sentiments exactly! Sadly, people are so afraid these days of offending someone else’s sensibilities, that they fail to take any stand at all. I can’t imagine a conviction-less life … nor would I want to! A lack of conviction is not the same as unanimous acceptance! Blog-on!!!! Happy to have found you!
There’s fear of offending because of blandness and political correctness run amok, and there’s fear of offending because bullying is so rampant that you don’t stand a chance and may get hurt, either verbally or physically. The second is understandable and I have been in that position many times myself—but if it involves an animal, I become so adrenaline-charged I no longer give a shit about my own safety.
Defending vile behavior because you have no convictions of your own is somewhat like being lobotomized, you’ll have less stress and probably won’t have a heart attack, but what good are ya?
You make so many good points in this piece, because so much of it is what people actually say. Like “everybody deep down has a good heart.”
I believe there’s hope for everybody, but only if we’re willing to fight the evil inside us. Too many people say they were born that way and leave it at that.
I guess something would have to impact them to make them want to fight their own depravity.
I just wish I was big and strong so I could help people fight the evil inside them the old-fashioned way!
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This was great reading. “…….that’s just their nature”. I have heard this often. We do have tendencies and imperfections but we can still be kind. Loved how you worked with the prompt.
Why thank you Char. I’ve been following your stories on BeKind, and think you definitely should have a (WordPress) blog!
Yes we all have our demons. But they don’t need to include being mean, no matter what our excuses are!