a lion can lead sheep, but sheep cannot lead a lion

stand up for what you believe is right

Even here in England one cannot go very far before one encounters somebody wearing a mask, and probably surgical-type gloves too.  Here it’s mandatory to wear a ‘face covering’ on public transport; trains, bus, planes, taxicabs ~ and the Health Nazis want everyone to wear a mask anytime they’re out of doors.  In fact the doom-mongers want everyone to stay in lockdown ~ probably forever.

I am afraid they are going to be disappointed in me, but then disappointing people is part of finding your own way in life.  There is never going to be a shortage of right-thinking, officious, supposedly well-meaning people around, happy to advise us, instruct us, create and impose expectations about how we should think, act, and be.  ‘Don’t date that person, don’t take that job, go to that school, think the way I think, wear a face covering…..’  (Maybe I should have taken some of the dating advice.)

Sometimes taking advice and following instructions makes good sense, but only too often what people want us to do is based on their own experiences, their needs and wants, their desire for self-affirmation ~ not on any understanding of us at all.  I have never been in the least surprised if my best way ahead was to ignore advice, do the exact opposite of what others wanted of me, do something those closest to me thought was crazy.  We walk the warriors path alone.

Ignoring advice often offends some people ~ right now not wear a face covering in public seems to offend a lot of people.  The simple truth is that being true to yourself, going your own way, will always disappoint and offend somebody.  Another truth is that some people are ready to be offended by anything that does’t agree with their own warped and narrow mindset.

Don’t know which one is worse, doing your own thing or just being cool.  ~  Bob Dylan

Some people in your life will be impossible to please; parents, siblings, the wider family, ‘friends’, your current and past partners, teachers, co-workers…..  They will show their disapproval of you, whatever you do.  Fuck them.  If it’s unbearable then just move on, spend much less time in their company, stop sharing your plans, dreams, wants, needs, and intentions with them.  Stop telling them what you’re doing and whatever you’ve done in the past.

Some say; ‘don’t do as I do, do as I say.’  And, ‘you should listen when people tell you what to do.’  All I know is it’s better to make my own mistakes than to repeat the mistakes of others.

~

jack collier

jackcollier7@talktalk.net

look to the far horizons