Modernization's Going to the Dogs

All of you out there, you think you’re modern? Think again.

People have got to realize that a good education, a full pocket, and a luxurious lifestyle do not make you modern. If your thinking and your opinions are still medieval, then you’re kidding yourself when you call yourself modern. I mean, you think that if you’re living in, or wearing fashionable and up to date clothes, or speaking good English, then you qualify as a ‘modern’ person? You really think that a poor person who works day and night to earn a square meal can’t be modern, just because he can’t afford all the fancy appliances? Well, you’re missing the point, aren't you? Modernization is not about your way of living. It’s about how you think. IT’S THE FREAKIN’ THOUGHT THAT COUNTS.

Some people think they’re modern because their careers are their priorities. So they’re on the right track, aren't they? Well, that’s not what I think. Education does matter, I will never deny that, but it can only take you so far.

You know, most of the time we don’t even realize that our opinions are the exact opposite of modern. Some justify such opinions as ‘practical’, and ‘factual parts of life’.
I'm thinking, factual parts of my arse, more like.

Okay, I've been crude. Sorry about that, but it was kind of necessary in order to get my point through to you. So ask yourself these questions if you actually want to face reality, because if you be honest with yourself and answer these questions from your heart (okay, that was a stupid thing to say, your heart is an organ that pumps blood. It has got nothing to do with your emotions, or anything other than your circulatory system. If you think that your heart can think for you, you might as well think that your blood can do the same. That was just a way to make “normal” people understand my meaning.), you might just realize how medieval you are (there’s also the possibility of you thinking how silly I am to ask you these questions, but hey, this is serious, okay – so you've got to be truthful to yourself).

1. Let’s start with the easy ones. I don’t want you to panic at the very first question.  Do you secretly try not to come into physical contact with homeless people or any other class of people? Look, nobody’s judging you because you’re answering to yourself, so be honest.
2. Do you feel that if, among a married couple, the wife has long hours of work and the husband has to look after the kid more than his wife does, it’s inappropriate? But, á la fois, if the roles are exchanged, it’s not really a big deal? I know your instinctive answer to this one would be - “No, of course not.” But you need to think about it. Think of real life situations, try to put yourself out there.
3. This one’s for the people with high school kids. Do you think that your child should play safe and take up the subject of your choice, and not theirs? You’d say, “We just want her to be successful in life, and not regret her decision later.” Well, guess what? It’s high time you let your kids make their own decisions, and let them learn from their own mistakes. Admit it, you've made your own mistakes too, and you learnt from them. They will, too, if you let them.“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you've lived so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all.”
4. Do you have ANY kind of generalized opinion, or basically a stereotype, about ANY section of people? Like, do you think that all Afro-Americans are poor, or uneducated, or anything? If you do, slap yourself right now. It’s necessary. Look, you need to understand that no two people are the same. You just cannot generalize a group of people. All modern women aren't the usual stereotype of loud and smart and outgoing and independent. Women are of all kinds. People are of all kinds.                                                         
5. Do you like Harry Potter? Okay, now that’s just inappropriate. Sorry. Wrong question. (But, believe it or not, Harry Potter did teach me a lot. A lot about values and ethics, a lot about our conscience, a lot about life, basically.)
6. Can you see the grey? I mean, do you just see life in black and white, or can you spot the grey area in between? Basically, are you judgmental? This is the toughest one, you know. Because we, as humans, hold grudges, we all do. What we don’t realize is that everyone has their own story. Some people do terrible things. It does not necessarily mean that they’re terrible people.
7. Do you make fun of, or do not respect religion in the name of modernization? I’m not asking you whether you believe in any religion, so don’t get me wrong. Look, I’m not a religious person, but I do have a faith, I believe in ethics. Above all, I have faith in my conscience. And my conscience tells me that I have no right to judge a person who does, or does not believe in God. Nobody’s got that right. The same goes for people who condemn atheism. So, do you, or don’t you?
8. Now I’m starting to run out of questions, because I have so many, and I can’t pick which are the more important ones. Okay, so do you think that being slim and fit is modernism? Or that rotund people are ancient? Well, obesity is unhealthy, but gives you no reason for judgement. I don’t give a gust of stinking Chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to me has skinnier knees than me. I mean, is ‘fat’ really the worst thing a human being can be? Is ‘fat’ worse than ‘vindictive’, ‘jealous’, ‘shallow’, ‘vain’, ‘boring’ or ‘cruel’?

So, anyway, I know I've quoted enough of J. K. Rowling for you to think of me as some kid who thinks she knows the world because she read Harry Potter. But I don’t give a shit. Actually, I just wrote this down to vent my anger. Writing, reading, painting – it’s just stuff that soothes my nerves. So, this is me signing off.

But before I do that -

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
Now those are words of wisdom. Modern wisdom.