Bouncing Back

Man, I've had a rough week.

I had a ton of things go wrong on me and a good friend of mine lost his job yesterday. However, I'm not worried about him like you would think a friend would be. Here's why:

He's not a whiner.

He's exactly what I would expect from an American who's kicked in the teeth. He picked himself up off the ground, dusted himself off, and is going to continue on. He's not wallowing in self pity. He's not blaming others for his misfortune. He's being a man.

This is what I think the younger generations lack. They lack the intestinal fortitude to take what life hands them and bounce back from whatever happens. I keep seeing example after example of people who have a stumbling block in life and they take it so severely that it takes them months or even years to get back in the saddle.

Sure, life isn't fair. Life hands you a bum hand from time to time, but you can't give me a single example of a successful person who didn't get knocked down during their rise to success. You can point out "rich" people that have, but those people haven't earned their money. They inherited it. They just had the fortune of having rich relatives.

Take a look at Paris Hilton. Sure, she's wealthy, but let's see how she got that way. She partied on her parents dime (which her parents should be hauled into jail over if you ask me) when she was underage. She made a sex tape that she squeezed every last nickel from, then pursued it into a TV show. Now, the general public hates her guts. Why? Because she's a spoiled brat who didn't earn her keep.

People who work to make their lives better are much more well rounded people. People who've been knocked down in life are the kind of people you want as friends. They are reliable, responsible, and can roll with whatever life hands them.

My point is, is if you want a happy, productive life, earn it. When you're knocked down, get up. Don't let something small in the grand scheme of things make you wallow in your own self pity. Laid off of work? Wife divorcing you? Wife pregnant? Everyone has these problems from time to time, it's just a matter of how you react to it that will determine how happy your life will be. No one likes a miserable prick. Need a "pick me up"? Take a look at others who have it worse then you but still manage to be successful.

Jessica Simpson is rich, but she's a moron.

Paris Hilton is popular, but she's a skank.

Britney Spears was popular and rich, now she's "that crazy girl who married the douche-y guy"

Rosie O'Donnell is popular with the yenta types, but she's a big headed idiot who's only claim to fame is that she says something provocative without thinking about what she's saying.

Ben Affleck is quite handsome to the ladies but he makes shitty movies.

Take any one of these people and you'll find that if you don't wallow in self pity, you have it better then them in many ways.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com