Day # 157 - Look at Me!

We live in a world where people have stopped defining their self-worth by what they feel about themselves. People only want attention. It’s as if their value is defined by what strangers think of them rather than anything of real value.

From the woman twittering about the miscarriage she was having during a board meeting to the “Girls Gone Retarded” phenomenon, we are a society of people who want attention – regardless of whether it’s good or bad.

Psycho-babblers will tell you how it’s about low self-esteem and how these people weren’t loved by their daddy or not breastfed until age 17. People will make all kinds of excuses for this idiotic behavior, but let’s be honest about the true cause: there’s a market for it. When you read the People Magazine or US Weekly-type rages of the world, you are watching the glamorization of lunch and grocery-getting and taking kids to day care. None of these things are glamorous and Ashton Kutcher does not do his own groceries unless his publicist instructs him to do so. So to those who don’t have a healthy self-image, there is only one way to feel good about themselves; they must become famous – or infamous, whatever works. If you have no talent or relatives in the movie biz, you can always do something stupid like enter a wet T-shirt contest. If you’re a guy, you can be catapulted in a port-a-potty. Others will be happy to become porn “stars” and destroy any chance they have at a real life, because as every 19 year old know, you’re young forever and no one judges you by your actions.

Too many kids are growing up with the idea that if you’re not famous, you’re not valuable. They see Hannah Montana and believe it is their “dream” to be a famous singer. The trend of mothers sexualizing their little girls and hoodlumizing their little boys is leading to a future of bondage (not that kind of bondage – more like slavery.) Combined with the governmental emphasis on hating achievement, and maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to buy these kids English-Chinese dictionaries. It’s not to say children shouldn’t dream, but it is up to the parents to strike the delicate balance between encouraging children to dream and preparing them for a more modest, but more important, future.

Today’s posting was inspired by an acquaintance who recently quit her job. Rather than a resignation letter, she went “broken arrow” and wrote a scathing email to everyone in the company, from the CEO to the janitor, criticizing managers, co-workers and everyone in between. Was this necessary? No, of course not. You have the right to quit a job, but why burn dozens of bridges in the process? Would any of the other managers working there ever hire her if their paths crossed again? Of course not. So why’d she do it? Because she had to go down in a blaze of glory – a haze of stupidity is more accurate. She needed the attention and boy, did she get it. If she ever came to me for a job, she would have zero chance.

Forget screaming for attention and start earning respect. This is how success happens.

- Adolfo

http://ayearwithoutnews.blogspot.com
http://www.cakewhimsybyabdaliz.com
http://www.honeybeepartyrental.com
http://www.facebook.com/adolfojimenez1
http://www.twitter.com/adolfojimenez