Another writer said it elsewhere, and I believe that the time has come to consider why external validation is the only real fuel for the empire. In theory, being self-important is a negative trait that acts as a deterrent to most individuals. However, because some people have been in the artificial spotlight for entirely too long, they have become accustomed to expecting others to solicit them for good opinions. With all that has been revealed this year–not just the Epstein files–sometimes people demonstrate that their opinions are not worth respecting, and that we would have been better off ignoring them.
First and foremost, anyone who hoards more money than they can spend in a lifetime is a creep, and there is nothing that can be said in defense. Oh, they give to charities on a regular basis? What if, and hear me out, what if they gave the majority of their money away to the first people who asked, regardless of whether someone is “worthy”? Hoarding money in a time of disaster is short-sighted, and pretending like one cannot spend it is weak. “Elites” are psychopaths who refuse to share, so who cares what they think?
Down towards the bottom, there are way too many people who want to look more important than they are and impose those beliefs on others. Homeowners associations, people blissed out on debt, and posers who think that becoming a celebrity is more important than being human are all parts of the problem. Perfect example: I was drying clothes outside, but I made sure that I was always in sight and that I was ready to take them down at a moment’s notice because people get in trouble for drying clothes outside. In Texas. When we have been experiencing repeated years of record heat. Those who are excessively afraid for their reputations stop being good people, so who cares what they think?
Right now, there are a lot of people with a lot of resources who have nothing but old suggestions for how people can get to where we need to be in life. Most of these people had unearned privileged, and the rest were statistically lucky–and they know this. Hypercritical people are very well aware that their methods are obsolete, but they cannot stop shoving their previous successes in the face of those struggling to make ends meet. In the end, who really cares about the opinions of people who fail to offer real help, but have a lot of “solutions” for everyone else’s issues?
Lastly, we have reached the point when prizes no longer matter, and prizes offered by people who have been surrounded by privileged people matter even less. I even joked with a friend that most of the prizes these days revolve around the premise of “Prove that our help is unneeded so that we can boost someone’s reputation.” By not actually doing any work to find unsung heroes, “prizes” have become attention-seeking at best, and sanitizer for evil reputations at worst. Striving for a prize given by isolated people is not something to which young people should aspire.
The bottom line is that the United States has been revealed to be a carnival act with zero accountability, and fewer and fewer people are continuing to give credit when due. Withholding gratitude and appreciation is not a good behavior trait, and selfish people should start finding themselves to be islands. No one cares about people who refuse to offer compassion because life is too hard to get through while also caring about a constant need to withhold external validation.
Chasing A Dying Empire 