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I'm a loser baby....
I'm am convinced that there is no such thing as a loser.
To imply that there are losers in the world, also implies that there are winners. Ironically, the first people to pick up on this were the Valley Girls, who, in turn, began labeling the losers, winners.
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However, I think we can all agree, that there is no real winning or losing in life. Now, a few Christians may disagree and state that when we die we pass into the afterlife and rejoice in the beauty of heaven. Thus, winning the prize of the joyous afterlife. Now, I'm not sure if God exists, but I'm willing to bet that if she does, she doesn't want us to relate death to winning the Final Showdown on the Price Is Right. Perhaps, being born is similar to this, but for now lets just say that there is life. No winners. No losers. Just beings muddling around doing what they do until death do we part.
Now, that being said, I was watching television last night - an outdated STNG... You know, Star Trek, Next Generation. It was during this viewing that I realized I was a total loser. Sitting in my underwear, drinking a beer, quoting Spock's father as he talked with Captain Picard. I found myself speculating on what the outcome of their Peace Treaty was going to be, even though I've seen the episode maybe a dozen times before. As the show progressed and my beer was drained sip by sip I became more aware of my loser-ishness. But I snapped out of it. I'm not a loser! I'm not losing anything! I'm not losing valuable time - or wasting it as some people would have you believe. I'm cherishing it. I'm relaxing with a sauce while watching a fun, entertaining program... and learning the Vulcan word for peace!
So, during my small, hour long reality break, I realized, the most detrimental thing a person can have, is low self esteem. It will kill you faster than a phaser and make you feel worse than being caught in the thousand year digestive system of the mighty Sar Lack. We all have self doubt. We all have self loathing. We all become embarrassed and occasionally ashamed of past life experiments. But, embracing a not-so-widely-accepted belief, or collecting action figures or even jacking your Thunderbird up on cinderblocks doesn't make one a loser. Because, there is nothing to lose. Not even self respect or the respect of others. Because respect is something that is earned. And if you commit some act that "loses" the respect from others, chances are that you never truly gained it to begin with. It is our uniqueness that defines us. That makes humans strong as a race. Our individuality. So let us live our lives as Captain Picard offers, "If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for who we really are." For "Normal is what everyone else is and you are not." -- Dr. Soran - So, "Seize the time... Live now; make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again" -- Picard
Just don't make billboards of yourself and expect other people to understand.... or go into that much depth about Star Trek. Because, I'm pretty sure that, that lost half my readers.
Peace and long life. Live long and prosper.
*Look for Mr. Sweeney's article "Weekly Commentary, The Next Generation" later this week.
**The opinions expressed in Weekly Commentary are those of Mr. Sweeney and his alone. Any attempt at finding sanity or logic in his rantings are feeble, at best.
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