April 3: Being a Humanist, Addiction, Judgement and Finger-Pointing

So, I forgot my copy of Slaughterhouse at home.  It has not been a good day.  Anyhow, I decided to focus on one of my favorite Vonnegut quotes, about being a Humanist.  I think there's a lot of merit to what he says.

Most of today, I've been trying to process a cruel act that I witnessed yesterday.  Again, I'm not going to get into details.  I've gone over and over it myself, trying to understand.  I can't.  It didn't accomplish anything.  It simply created stress, hard feelings, and anger.  In my mind, there is simply no justification for what happened.

Now, I know this is probably driving all my readers crazy.  I wish that I could spell out the details, but I can't.  It wouldn't be kind or decent of me, and that's what I always try to be.  I don't always accomplish this goal, but I try.

I will say that addiction is a terrible thing that very few people (outside of addicts) understand.  It's selfish and crafty and shameful.  Nothing can change an addict's mind when s/he is in the throes of addiction.  The choice to break the addiction can't come from any outside source.  It has to come from the addict.

That probably confused this post even more.  So, I am just going to end this little reflection by encouraging everybody who reads this to simply be kind.  Behave decently.  Treat people the way you want to be treated.  It's all about compassion and empathy, not judgement and finger-pointing.

Tonight, Saint Marty is thankful not for the perfect people in his life, but for the decent people.  They make better friends and family.