The View From My Window: What Life Has Taught Me
Darren Stansbury
May 19, 2005
- I'm a writer and musician whether I'm employed as either or not. So, creativity has special importance to me. I must have an outlet for it.
- Few people are truly good or truly bad. Most of us are a blend of both good and bad. By "good" I mean people without malice or selfish motives.
- People are naturally self-centered. Even when they do good it's for praise or the hope of eventual reciprocation. They rarely do any good without expecting something good in return, even if it's just the rush they get from having done good.
- Lust, greed, fear, anger, hatred and pride will make people speak and act unwisely even when they know better. That's the animal in all of us. Maybe even Mother Theresa had dark impulses.
- Whoever has the most gold is king, especially in these United States. Green is the one color that tends to transcend racial boundaries. White America accepts a rich black celebrity more readily than it accepts an average black person. For example, in my city, San Antonio, many of the white people and Latinos who love the mostly black Spurs would react to them with fear or revulsion if these same Spurs were average black men. It wouldn't matter how nice, how intelligent or how articulate they are. They would love these Spurs much less if they weren't millionaire athletes representing the city. Many of those who aren't basketball fans likely hate them anyway.
- Many of the white Americans who are so patriotic have a vision of America that excludes racial minorities. They may consider racial minorities truly American only when these minorities represent their schools or towns or The United States as athletes.
- If you're a black person some blacks might call a "bourgie" or accuse of "acting white" you're often caught in the middle. You're reviled and distrusted on both sides of the fence.
- Only those with power can be racist. However, no group has a monopoly on racial prejudice.
- Being in the majority creates a sense of entitlement and validation.
- Our society will never be color blind, since racial prejudice is passed from one generation to the next. When racial prejudice is no longer preached or encouraged in our society maybe then it will end.
- The world is full of predatory people seeking to exploit weaknesses in other people.
- You have to give what you want to get.
- We so often make life more difficult by acting on oversimplistic notions, which includes prejudices.
- Without spirituality everything is meaningless.
- Wealth and power or the appearance thereof attract sycophants and opportunists.
- Most people are what Carlos Santana would describe as being "tuned to the frequency of meat and potatoes." Most people are not idealists or visionaries. So many people are nonspiritual, including many religious people. Their only real concern is the here and now.
- A certain cynicism is healthy. Otherwise, you're continually surprised whenever you encounter mean, rude, disrespectful, evil or selfish people. You'll be continually caught off-guard. It's healthy to remember that although you may have a positive attitude so much of the rest of the world does not. That's just how it is. It's dangerous not to have some cynicism. If you let your guard down you're likely to get hit in the face.
- Human nature is timeless.
- What goes around comes around. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you do wrong then you'd better beware.
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