“It is hard to free fools from the chains they revere.” – Voltaire
I am usually a pretty encouraging person, and I will always lean towards the assumption that people want to become better, want to improve their lives, their mind, their behavior. But sometimes you come across people who you realize, though they consciously think they want to change, really have no interest in it at all. They are wrapped up in their chains of whatever and hate with a passion the idea of having those chains taken away. After all, who would they be, without those chains?
You might think I am talking about addicts here, people who can’t give up cigarettes or alcohol, etc. And yes, of course those of us who deal with that have our chains. But, I am thinking of a different sort of chain. The chain based, not on reality, what really is, but on self, what THEY think really is. The person who isn’t interested in learning, isn’t interested in finding out truth, but is interested only in defending their foolishness, prejudices, superstitions and magical thinking. Absurd, self-absorbed rationalizations are the chains.
We all have our blind spots I know, but sometimes I come across a person who has more blind spots than seeing spots and I come to find out they put those blind spots there on purpose! That get’s old and it becomes hard to continue to encourage in that case.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com