Foolishness

Sometimes people say stuff they think is really "sensitive" like "people can't help it, everything that's happened to them has made them who they are, it defines their behavior" this kind of stuff pisses me off. They think it is sensitive, but they never see how insensitive it is. It just sounds nice!—but it is lazy thinking, and thus indifferent—thus uncaring by default.


Let me explain myself:


As a matter of personal opinion, it is absolute rubbish to accept the concept that past behavior "defines" how a person behaves. I say this because the word "define" derives from the term "definite"... meaning “absolute”, “objectively true” and “without exception”.
Would it be a point of sensitivity to tell the woman who’s been raped that she’s screwed, her way of looking at the world, her character and her behavior, and her mind is forever construed beyond her finite control? She’s doomed to a life of fear, seclusion, and shame? I mean to say, when we bring a term like “define” into play this is exactly what we are starting to suggest. We are suggesting that all the experiences of our life decides exactly who we are, internally and extrovertedly. I find this fathom to rape man of his humanity. I do not adhere to the concept that the sum of a man is the culmination of experiences.

People always say,“I feel that everything that happens to someone makes who they are today.”
I do not adhere to this; I find this statement to be highly un-empowering to humanity. This statement is in reality is a guise of sensitivity, which is masking what is really being suggested. It is technically looking at man in a demeaning manner. It is taking the experiences of his life, patting him on the head, justifying his behavior, and allowing him to not think about his own being, and allowing him to embrace an excuse for his behavior, instead of a solution. This breeds a highly uncaring world; a world where we don’t implore each other to hold ourselves to higher standards; a world where those who do become out of the norm, and even looked down upon.

I’m however not suggesting people who say this stuff mean it in any insensitive manner. What they say is somewhat of a “buzz term” now a days, it is widely accepted. Again however, just because something is widely accepted as just, and kind and nice, doesn’t necessarily mean it is well thought out—it might just simply sound nice. Sometimes these things are just adopted as opinion, because they formulate aligned to our own ideals of what great people we all are. My opinion, regardless of whether or not something sounds sensitive, we need to challenge our own views and opinions, dig deeper and consider whether or not these statements of ours actually work in and have vitality, and serve our fellow man to the utmost.
Man in a sense is not merely the sum of the experiences in his life, he is the sum of what he decides to do about those experiences.
Therefore, to say that the cumulative of past experiences, will without exception, amount to the sum total of a man's character and demeanor is not only neglecting every other known psychological and sociological fact, it is also demeaning to man himself, in my opinion of course.