Friends and Rivals

There is a wide continuum of types of associates ... lovers, friends, rivals, trolls, enemies ... and many adjective-modified variants of the same. In this blog post, I think I will concentrate only on what I feel is the difference between rivals and friends.

You can tell if associates are rivals if, when bringing them to mind, you usually draw a contrast between them and yourself: “I have more hair” “He has poor hygiene,” “She drinks too much,” etc.

But associates are likely to be friends if your first thought is: “He is so generous,” or “I like myself when I’m around him,” or “She makes me smile,” etc.

Piece of advice: Don’t confuse the two ...

STAND UP FOR AMERICA!

Discord

We are living in an age of discord. Everyone is at someone else’s throat. Why may this be true? I have a suggestion — the new media — the internet and social media. I realize that this is an easy answer for no other reason than these are coincident events. But one has to delve deeper.

The internet and social media have broken the lock that the old media had on information flows. Now, one can be one’s own reporter ... for better of worse ... and realize what these previous intermediaries did to shape our opinions ... and we resent it ... and them.

Through disintermediation you have become free to accept or reject the hundreds of “facts” that flow electronically onto your life. There no longer is an arbiter of truth other than yourself. You have been freed of the old groupthink ... only to be captured by one of many new ones.

Two absolutely opposing views can be backed by a myriad of supporting data that are, in turn, backed by the assurances of other internet trolls, media pundits and “famous” people ... famous because they are not shy about offering their brain droppings. (I include myself in this club.)

So, in the end, there are two positions that are diametrically opposite ...  and both can be justified to a fair-thee-well. A certain recipe for continued discord.