Being Human

The Scintilla Project Day Six

Last updated on May 18th, 2021 at 10:53 am

1. Describe a time when the content of your character was tested.

2. Write about a chance meeting that has stayed with you ever since.

— The Scintilla Project Day 6 prompts

The Scintilla Project Logo

When it comes to me, some people catch a case of “He’s too good to be true.” Too nice. Too gentlemanly. Too eager to help. He must be hiding something. He must be trying to get something from you. There’s no way he’s doing this from the goodness of his heart!

Somewhere along the line the standard for being human fell. We’ve become sceptical and expect everyone to try to stab us in the back at their earliest opportunity, so we harden ourselves pre-emptively, knowing that the other shoe must eventually drop. No one is out for your best interests. No one can succeed without you failing. There isn’t enough of anything for everyone to get a share.

But that’s simply not the case.

You Can Only Get Out of the World What You Put Into It

I’m of the mind that personal success and the success of my “competition” are not mutually exclusive. If another blogger and I choose to compete against each other, we might become very successful individually if we’re lucky—but if we work together, we increase the odds for our success, not to mention that we’ve both gained another potential 24 hours of effort per day apiece by having someone else to rely on in reaching a common goal.

Call it karma, call it cosmic balance, call it whatever you want—but the more you put into the world, the more of it you’ll get right back. Positive people will find others willing to help them reach their goals and take burdens off of their shoulders, while the negative ones will find the world consistently dumping right on their heads, and I’m sure that they’ll have a complaint to share about it, too!

But it’s simple math—the more people who’re willing to just give in and help others, the more positive examples we’ll have to learn from. In turn, those turn into more people who can potentially learn from these examples, and from there the cycle just repeats.

So why not try be an agent of good in a world of bad when it simply makes sense?

A Simple Question of Wrong and Right

I’ve been stabbed in the back before. I’ve had friends choose sides in battles that didn’t have me on them. I’ve had people lie to me, cheat me and steal from me—and after all that, I’d only ask them one question:

“Was it worth it?”

Was your short-term gain worth the hit to your reputation? Was the material wealth worth the relationships you severed to get it? The things we get through questionable means are rarely the ones we get to hang on to in the long run, so why play the dangerous game with fate?

That’s why every time someone questions my character—every time someone wants to hate and accuse me of rigging contests, befriending people for popularity or anything else that’s come my way in my life so far, I just remember who I am and what I do. I gotta do me and let haters be haters—may they one day see the light.

The second logo for Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad

By Casey E. Palmer

Husband. Father. Storyteller.

Calling the Great White North his home, Casey Palmer the Canadian Dad spend his free time in pursuit of the greatest content possible.

Thousand-word blog posts? Snapshots from life? Sketches and podcasts and more—he's more than just a dad blogger; he's working to change what's expected of the parenting creators of the world.

It's about so much more than just our kids.

When Casey's not creating, he's busy parenting, adventuring, trying to be a good husband and making the most of his life!

Casey lives in Toronto, Ontario.

18 replies on “Being Human”

Thanks, Chris — it’s like you just said there; if someone’s a douche, you see it plain as day and know what you’re getting. But the moment they’re nice, your first thought is that they MUST be a douche in disguise.

It’s faulty logic. It’s the sign of a FLAWED SOCIETY.

I have high hopes for a better future… but it’s not going to happen without a little elbow grease.

I guess I’m just plain naive… I always think people are awesome… then I get to know them… lol

Some stay awesome, others…. not so much.

😀

Society is Flawed. It does need to change.
Can I still call you Mr. Horseshoes though?

C.

LOL. You can feel free to make continual reference to my lucky streak if you so wish.

Not everyone’s awesome (as you know) — it’s good to think the best of people, though. I just wish people would live up to that standard more often!

I think most people have good intentions, but there are those who, even in very minor crises, take the easy way out by lying or avoiding hard truths. I’ve done it. The difference is, as you put it, those of us who feel remorse. People who just keep moving without regard to others confuse me, but I am known worldwide as a goober. And I collect goober friends. Heh. Great post, Casey.

LOL. We’re all going to make mistakes sometimes, but you’re right — if we learn from them, learn WHY they’re mistakes and learn not to make those mistakes again, that’s where true development happens. We shouldn’t let one minor mishap cause use to completely mistrust someone else — we’re human and we’re not perfect. In the end, we’re going to have to learn how to use and TRUST the instincts we have 🙂

Thanks for stopping by, Erica 😀

Oh you have no idea how much I agree with you on this! I just wish it was easier to let “haters be haters” sometimes and just focus on positivity.

People tell me that they think I’m the most positive person they know, but even I have the occasional “FML” day. It happens.

Maintaining a positive outlook when it’s so much easier to let the world get you down is of the utmost importance, but the majority often seeks the easy way out. There’re definitely days where I know I need a kick in the ass, but for some reason or another, I’m too worn out to get to that point.

Hoping that I can resolve a lot of loose ends in 2013 and get to a point where I constantly feel like I’m moving forward 😉

It’s so true, isn’t it Jamila? I try to find more and more people to work WITH so that I get more of my dreams and goals accomplished — there’s only so many hours in a day, and I need to remember that!

I appreciate your integrity. You sound like a “What you see is what you get” kind of person. One of my closest friends recently told me that when he met me he thought it was all a show until finally he got it… “You really are as you appear… wow.” So much of our life experience is based on our expectations, isn’t it? I’m so glad I found you via #Scintilla13. We are kindred spirits, my friend.

Thanks for the comment, Julie 🙂 I’m glad to find others who are all about living as authentic a life as they can — the more we invest in trying to be something that we’re not, the more we waste time on the development that we actually NEED. I’m glad that your friend finally figured it out 🙂

May we eventually live in a world where our expectations align PERFECTLY with reality 🙂

That’s exactly it, man. Now if the world can help me out with a few extra hours so I can get Days 7-9 written, that’d be choice 🙂

I’ve been distracting myself with data crunching, though =/

Raoul, you are very obviously correct. I’ve dug out all the notes and half-written ideas I’ve put together for the days and started typing like a madman. Hopefully we’ll have things back up and running tomorrow morning 🙂

We’ve discussed this at length over the last couple of months.

I think it’s important to touch on the fact that while it’s important to do good in this world, it’s very important not to be a walkover. I see many a “good person” end up perpetually sad at how they’re treated. I think a lot of people will take and take and take if given a chance. It doesn’t mean we should always give and give, but it does mean people should be wary of who and what they’re giving to this world.

BTW have a clear conscience is a rarity in this day and age. Good on you for keeping it clean.

Completely agree, man. I’ve toughened up over the years after being burned by enough people over the years, and now I’m a blend of a guy trying to do right and not compromise while also remaining fully knowledgeable about the world I live in. I’m not naive enough to completely ignore everything going on around me, but I think it highly important to not stoop to the level that I see some people operate at.

Being nice and being firm aren’t mutually exclusive — it’s just too bad that many of us have convinced ourselves that they are.

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