Evans Liberal Politics, May 26, 2010, by Paul Evans: feel free to distribute this to anyone:

See What It’s Like to Be Down and Out in America, Evans Liberal Politics, August 28, 2010, by Paul Evans.

The truth is, I was watching reruns of Malcolm in the Middle when I started thinking about the enormity of the web, how somewhere I read that there are 10,000 new websites each day — and a million uploads to YouTube every 24 hours. I guess this is because I really care about Evans Liberal Politics and I tend to be thinking all the time about how to make it better and what might really generate some traffic (I mean visitors). That’s when I had an intuitive insight that I just had to write this post. That’s the truth. I’ve run this website since the Presidential election of 2008 and never really seem to generate much popularity no matter how much time, effort and money I invest in the site. It’s become something I just do, like some people go to work and work at a “real” job. But believe me, it’s very real to me, and I care about helping people and believe honestly that our site deserves a wider audience. I feel helpless but I keep trying to provide truthful news that will help people.

Several people have asked or suggested that I just tell the truth in my own words, that this would be something that people would want to hear. A couple have suggested that I speak honestly from the heart. Problem is, there just wasn’t anything I really feel like much of an authority about, that I wanted to talk about. I mean, basically, as far as politics goes, I’m liberal for a very simple reason. Because liberalism is more caring towards poor and ordinary Americans than conservatism. Because Jesus asked us to “feed his sheep” and I believe with all my heart that we need desperately as a society to be our brother’s keeper. It’s basically that simple with me.

So anyway, I’m mentally ill. Schizophrenic as a matter of fact. I do know something about mental anguish and suffering firsthand. I’m taking medicine that should drop a horse, but with me, I got lucky and my doctor found this medicine that just strengthens my mind and allows me some pretty remarkable mental endurance. For an old 53 years young guy, I guess. I feel like I outta get another shot at college again, I feel young mentally.

There, I always wanted to spit out the truth about that, even though I already did on the About Paul Evans page.

But this whole business about caring and falseness and game playing has always been something that really hurt me in life, that I rebelled against, so I always tried to be honest and straightforward and as real as possible with people. And it got me nowhere, but maybe I learned a few lessons I really wanted to share.

I think so much of the fakeness and gameplaying we run across in our lives — so much of what is wrong — is because, despite the best efforts of a lot of people, we aren’t the caring society we should be. Getting us there is the whole rationale behind a lot of dedicated liberals and progressives.

A few people in my life appreciate that about me. That I try to be honest and caring. That’s about the most a guy can hope for in this increasingly messed up world. Really. I don’t think I’m just getting older and more observant, I really think the world is a lot more messed up than it used to be when I was young. I mean, I wasn’t a complete idiot and people were more real, more caring and less cold blooded back in the seventies when I grew up. A lot of people look back at the seventies as a sort of golden age. Things have gotten more hard bitten, and I sometimes have wondered why.

I think it is TV and also very much cyberspace. Have you SEEN some of the cable shows, have you watched the stuff young people watch on MTV2 and elsewhere? Have you for instance visited a website as dedicated to pain as Break.com, where I know a lot of geeks go to blow off steam. I think this is more than just symptomatic but also reinforcing of a basically uncaring attitude that a lot of people have develeoped. People live their lives like they are a character on a TV show or like they are in cyberspace and life is not so very real and earnest to them until it starts getting bad and really hitting home in ways they can’t avoid. Then a lot of them just turn hard and seem willing to do almost anything so long as they themselves get what they need (or think they need). This applies especially to money.

That’s my summary conclusion about why people are fake and act like it’s a game. I think television and computers have really made things worse. At least, I can’t think of any other reasons. The alternative band Alice in Chains has a comment about the whole question I think people might want to see, under a heading Why Do People Act Fake over at Help.com:

i will explain more in depth. why do they smile at u when they really don’t like you. why do they laugh at your jokes if their not funny. why do they comfort you if they really don’t care. why do they talk to you as if they care. why do they listen as if they want to really help . another type of fake. why do they dress like they r someone else why do they talk like they have nothing to loose. why do they do the things they normally wouldn’t do .why do people act like they are in love why do people act like they have never felt love? Why do sum live to hurt while others to stop it .

Because everybody does it? Because that’s how they act on TV or while on a computer? Isn’t that making it worse?

Few people read books any more except for school. Nineteenth century literature of the school of realism was especially effective in teaching lessons young people need to learn, and now that medium seems gone from our lives. Me, too, especially these days. I read much better from a computer screen than from a piece of paper now. Some have made the conversion over to the Amazon Kindle reader or other ebook readers but it is so easy to just turn on the tube — by which I mean TV. Nowadays I could be talking about YouTube, right? A lot of people don’t even have much use for the internet, and perhaps most people now don’t read much, but it’s a good thing my DirecTV package is pretty good. Am I reaching you? Does that strike uncomfortably close to home?

Think about TV. Sitcoms, so-called “reality” shows, seventies cult classics, movies on demand, the World Wrestling Federation, MTV and HBO. Cinemax. All the debauchery and pain and corruption of the world at the click of a button. Now TV and movies on demand on your computer. Think about exactly what you have been watching.

People, wake up!! You are NOT some character in a television show, and neither are you an identity in cyberspace. Nor does it really matter in the long run how totally cool you are or even how well you fit in. I mean, perhaps it can be expedient, but is that all that’s important to you? Being accepted and “cool”? “Making it” it this crazy world? Or is there something more?

Life is real. Life is earnest, and by the time you get to be my age you realize: If you are cut, you are going to be shedding blood, and life is not very forgiving.

That may explain part of it, but there is something deeper. People allow themselves to live their lives like it’s a game, or a character out of a TV show, and allow themselves to be fake and allow themselves to be hurtful and vain and all the other crap we see around us in everyone, every day, for one basic reason that underlies behavior that we see in the world:

We, as individuals and as society, refuse to pay the personal cost of being caring.

Personally, it COSTS to be real, it costs not to lie, it costs not to be fake and go along with the crowd.

My own downfall has been not thinking about others as I make decisions about how to proceed each day in my life. I love computers and blogging and so I have neglected other important things that I should have paid attention to. I regret that selfishness and hope I might attain a better perspective on living each day more for the important people in my life, and not just to gratify what is exciting and fun for me.

Jesus showed us just how much caring and doing what is required of us can cost, although for most of us, this sort of love is only a shining example. We need to start with much smaller steps, steps that ARE quite possible for each of us.

It’s so much easier to just get along, and TV shows us so many ways to do this. Take your pick: you can be a skateboard star and be cool as hell or you can be Frasier or Malcolm or INSERT YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER HERE….

But let me just offer one encouragement that I don’t believe I have seen much in books or on the web.

IF you pay the cost, if you are not fake, if you help that man in the inner city who needs a meal, if you “Save the Children,” …and if you live the sort of life that only a truly caring person can live, AND pay the cost of living that way, you gain a very real peace and love. This peace that you gain in your head, and love that you feel in your heart, cannot be gained falsely. “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” If you want to know what it is like to have peace and love in your life, no matter who is dumping on you, no matter what the circumstances in your life, you have to live a caring life of love.

Living caringly begets having a caring experience of life, no matter what your circumstances. It gives you a lot of insights too.

But the interesting thing is, at first it’s hard, maybe for years, but as God’s love pervades your mind and heart, your life is transformed until there is no real tangible cost to doing the right thing. Sure, the fake people and the liars and the slights and seeing the world as it is, are hurtful, but it is a sort of wistful, painless hurt. You just want to forgive all the foolish suckers out there and be loving. Because knowing God’s love is the greatest gift this universe can offer you. Having love in your heart and peace in your mind truly is worth dying for.

At least, so thought Jesus, and Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., and countless others…. and I think we know the love these people had in their hearts and the fearless peace they carried with them in their minds enough to know. There was no cost to them at all. They wouldn’t have had it any other way.

So for the first time on my website let me offer a little prayer: may God Bless you and let you know His peace and love.

Whereisthelove comments on the difficulty of knowing who is real about being caring in your life:

i guess most of people just living their life just seeking love, even if they don’t admit it but they really deep want to be loved accepted may be they think that they cant be loved as they are so they hide may be change their look but it’s hard to make a real deep change.

why they pretend to be some thing they r not (be cool while you r not)? it is only matter of acceptance, i mean an accepted geek between his friends and people will be more comfortable than a normal in a new town or school.

but about people that act like they do care may be they are really trying or they just act polite to be accepted.

i know sometimes it gets all twisted up when everybody be somebody else but the only thing that u can do is take it simple, believe them until the contrary is proven.

Madelineb0 adds that she thinks many people act fake “because otherwise they’ll feel vulnerable,” which is another terrible comment about our society, and what it teaches us.

Sadly, the way society is, not putting yourself out there and being truly caring can almost be a matter of survival for some. It’s still a matter of priorities, isn’t it? Success? Or peace in your mind and love in your heart? You are creating yourself by your attitude and how you treat others. What is important to you?

All it takes is a first step. Don’t tell that lie you were planning on telling your friend. Don’t cheat your business partner. Start to BE caring. The occasional unplanned act of kindness or just a kind word sometimes when you don’t feel like it. Being caring just makes you feel good. It can be all the difference in a relationship, and it can transform your life. And I guarantee you, if you are caring, if you pay the price, you will surely know peace and love. Hey, it takes a lifetime, and I don’t claim to be an expert, but I just knew I had to write this essay. I do assure you, the peace and love are very real and are a sort of universal Logic or “Logos” that pervades this earth. God made it that way. ~ Paul

See Inspirational Thoughts for a Sunday, Evans Liberal Politics, Evans Liberal Politics, May 2, 2010, by Paul Evans.

Moby Video: ‘Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad’

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