What I have learned from All the King's Men.
People are complex.
I know I talked about this earilier, saying I'm simple everyone else is complex. But thinking about it more I'm not sure anymore.
Change is complex.
and shit, I changed. All these new realizations, resolutions and past issues to deal with. It adds up a lot sometimes.
It's funny how sometimes you can be living your life completely open where people know you better than you know yourself. They know all your motives and reasoning but for whatever reason it takes you longer to catch up. Then you realize...oh. They were right. Damn.
I learned the hard way that people paint of picture of life for you when you are a kid. It's a picture of how life, in their eyes,
should work. What is supposed to happen is you grow up and realize life doesn't happen that way and find a way to make it work.
But then I had to be the dummy who really thought life did work that way. I carried around a picture of how things would work out. If it wasn't the way I envisioned then it wasn't good enough.
How much more naive can you be? I had to experience the cold, hard truth of of
reality before being able to overcome this
childish understanding of the world. My heart reaches out to those other lost souls who still have no idea. Rule of the thumb, if the family says so, it ain't.
So after experiencing the rejection and pain as a result of the actions which on acted on in the ignorance of my
youth I had to think beyond what I'd known. This is a difficult process and takes much time. I am still improving each and every day. As I learn I
resolve to do better knowing I am worthless if I can't. Change is complex. That is how people are complex. Because people, what they do and the motives behind them are simple but the change that takes place in the above is complex because it takes them to a new world of superior being.
"Life is like a spiderweb."
I didn't make this up, my English teacher wrote it on the board but I want to make itpersonal and relivant to me.
Every little action we take affects everyone. My choir teacher lectured on us one morning saying our opinion doesn't matter. We all have to live up to our expectations because our actions affect everyone around us, whether we think they do or not.
Of course he's right. They are both right.
It's not always negative things that we do that affect others but passive and positive as well.
It's like Tom's decision to play football. It resulted in an accident and he was paralized. This event prompts Willie to go back to his wife and leave his mistresses. By being left alone Sadie becomes angry and makes a decision that ends up in the death of two characters.
Why? Because Tom played football.
It's not to say that Tom shouldn't have played football. Football alone isn't bad in itself. But if affects everyone else none the less.
It's the negative decisions people make that have the hardest impact on others. Choosing to indulge in any of the three sins, alcohol, drugs, sex or committing crimes such as stealing, murder or assualt all have very negative effects on everyone.
People think,
well it's my choice. It's my right. I can do whatever I want. I only wish that were true. Think of how much heartbreak could be avoided if that were so.
Now I have to realize how my own actions affect those around me. I won't share with you because some examples are personal but realize I am taking them into consideration. You should do so as well. The world will be a better place if you do.
