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| Merry Christmas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Some FaceBook Nonsense--Or Not?
A while back someone whom I know expressed the following on FaceBook:
Hating so many things allows me to be passionate about the things I actually love.
Knowing what I know about this person, I was not particularly impressed by this thought. In fact, I was dismayed, though not very surprised. However, I have mixed feelings about this statement. I see a perverse sort of truth to it while at the same time seeing an outright arrogance and selfishness to the statement. I've never heard this before, but maybe there is an origin to it other than the mind of the person who said it on FaceBook.
What do you think about this quote? Have you heard it anywhere before?
Battle of the Band Results:
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
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This Battle was another crazy back and forth race to the finish. I enjoyed the Cimorelli Sisters, but my favorite version remains the energetic piano playing of Jo Ann Castle. Surprising to me, this means no clear winner. I really thought that Jo Ann Castle would have this win in the bag, but I guess Santa's bag is so full of toys that there was no room for a winner.
With my vote added in, the contest is a tie.
Jo Ann Castle 12 votes
Cimorelli 12 votes
Oh, and the JC was of course the one whose birthday we celebrate this week. But you knew that didn't you.
Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your holiday.
I'll be back on the blog on January 1st with another Battle of the Bands. This next one will be a quirky post-Christmas Battle with a song that is not thought of as a Christmas song, but I'll tie it into a Christmas related theme. I'll try to make it a fun post to start off the New Year.
What in the world kind of song will I be using? (hint: It will have something to do with what I got for Christmas.) What would you prefer to get this Christmas--presents or presence? Is there anything under your tree yet or do you even have a tree?
Hi Lee. I also saw that statement or something similar on Facebook. It was a bit disturbing to me, so I didn't leave a comment on the person's status. I'm learning to vote with my feet and walk away from things that "seem" negative - and this fit the bill, in my mind.
ReplyDeleteWow! 12/12....That's really great! I thought your battle really hit the mark! Can't wait to see the next and what you've got up your sleeve(smile).
Presence is always best - I love the blessing. A very Merry Christmas, sir. So glad I met you this year!!
I didn't think that thought was original with the person I know, but when I googled it I couldn't find the quote anywhere else.
DeleteHope you have the presence of those people and things you desire this holiday season. May we continue to grace one another's presence in the future.
Lee
That is really negative. Hate is such a strong word. The only thing I hate like that is the devil.
ReplyDeleteHave a Blessed Christmas!
I guess the word "hate" is what put me off by this statement.
DeleteLee
My hubby isn't a shopper and can't anyway on the road. He wants me to go buy myself something but I find that weird, a bit of a let down and totally not fun at all. So there's nothing under the tree. All I'll get is some cash from my mom. My ex-h and I used to give each other like 10 presents each, plus stocking.
ReplyDeleteI think I saw that quote before...it may have been on FB as a meme someone posted. But it makes sense....I have to agree with it. It doesn't seem all that negative, just succinctly put I guess. For example, there are a lot of bands and music that I 'hate' (*coughSpringsteenAndZZTopcough*) and that makes me appreciate the Grateful Dead that much more.
For me intense dislike or avoidance of something or someone limits me to too narrow of a field of interest. I think it's better to be open and try to find the good in what we initially are turned off by.
DeleteLee
That expression is like saying, "Drinking so much battery acid allows me to focus my taste-buds on the other drinks I do like."
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't work that way -- the acid destroys your taste-buds and YOU. It doesn't help focus anything. Hate does the exact same thing to the person who has it inside them.
The best BOTB's are the close ones, even if they end in a tie. :)
Have a wonderful, joyous Christmas and a very happy New Year! I won't be taking part in the BOTB posting in 2015, but I WILL still be voting and visiting all the other BOTB-ers! See you in 2015!
Excellent analogy that brings clarification.
DeleteDo you mean you won't be participating in only the first BOTB of 2015 or any during the year?
Lee
Not enough to get riled by it. Maybe I've mellowed! :) Although, sometimes, something some one says does hit me the wrong way. Maybe it's something deeper in us, maybe it's just the tone, yeah, cause you can hear tone on a computer! LOL Just sayin, sometimes I take offense when none was meant, and sometimes I'm simply clueless! Or is that most of the time? LOL
ReplyDeleteWishing you a wonderful Christmas, and a creative and prosperous New Year!
Hey, no virus warning this time! Yay!
I was just concerned about the statement knowing what the person had said in the past and what his relationship was to me. I'm not losing any sleep over it though.
DeleteVirus warning? Did you get one on my site? You're the first person to have mentioned this to me.
Lee
Yeah, I've seen the virus warning several times in the past, but things have changed for the better. I got them on Alex's site too for awhile, and several others. I don't know if it's my computer or the changes they've put in - now we have to prove we're not a robot!?
DeleteI don't know why the verification screen started, but maybe it was connected to the virus warning. I changed to the embedded comment system and WV was no longer necessary. Good ol' Blogger and their mettling.
DeleteLee
That statement reminds me of the Daleks telling the Doctor how much they love to hate and hate is the reason they haven't killed him. Simple inside-out logic.
ReplyDeleteHatred is often an excuse to avoid coming to agreements.
DeleteLee
That's just an excuse to be mean like with being "brutally honest." It's just another way to try to justify actions which aren't okay.
ReplyDeleteBesides, hate is a form of passion.
Hate is often very passionate--to the extreme in many cases.
DeleteLee
I'm a bit surprised that your BATTLE ended in a tie, but then I'm almost always surprised where mine end of. BOTB is one strange animal for sure. Too much for me to even try to figure out.
ReplyDeleteWith respect the that statement on Facebook - things like this are one of the reasons I closed my Facebook page down. People seem to like to make cryptic statements, and then they want to argue when you express your opinion about them. I really like what Chris Fries said about this, so I'll let that stand as my reply also.
Presents vs presence - well, personally I love to give presents. The fun of Christmas for me is to pick out gifts that I think those I care about will enjoy. I haven't always had the pleasure of seeing them open the gifts, but this year I will have most of my family here with me and I'm so looking forward to watching them and having their presence in my life at this time.
Probably the most important presence for me is that of the Holy Spirit. When it comes to life I really can be a 'dumb blonde' a lot of the time, but I'm not dumb enough to ever lose contact with that Divine guidance.
I have a tree and there are presents under it already. Even a few for me.
Lee - I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a wonderful New Year. I'm sure this year may be a bit difficult, but I have no doubt that you truly do know the 'reason for the season' and that gives us all hope and joy beyond measure.
Chris did say it best. I generally avoid Facebook and would not have paid any attention to the quote if it had come from another source.
DeleteLee
I'm a glass half empty girl myself; but never brag about the things I dislike as a way of upgrading the things that bring me pleasure. That is a sad quote.
ReplyDeleteHappy holidays Lee.
I'm glad that I'm getting a consensus about the negativity of the quote. I was thinking that I was missing something about it.
DeleteLee
The Hate part is very negative-ok I can't believe I just wrote that:)-how blond of me. I feel this person may even be quite judgemental and have a negative outlook on life-sad really. I ignore these statements because this person wants the attention. As for the Battle-a tie! Very cool. You always pick very unique music. As for your choice the 2 Front teeth came into my head but I know that's not it.
ReplyDeleteI know the quoter was looking for attention, but I am concerned about him.
Delete"All I Want for Christmas (2 Front Teeth)" is a Christmas song so that doesn't fit the parameters of my choice since my next song pick is definitely not a Christmas song.
Lee
Go by your gut instinct regarding your facebook friend. If you find he may be becoming too negative which raises some concerns, be forthright about your concerns, you may be surprised how much he will care that you noticed and talk
DeleteI think that whoever posted that on their FB thought they were being avant garde or extremely witty. Perhaps he fancied himself the next Mark Twain??? The difference is that Mark Twain's witticisms contained Truth in them. More hate doesn't = more love. Just doesn't work that way. I think this person is just rationalizing the hatred in their heart (not saying I don't have any, but I'm not Proud of it).
ReplyDeleteInteresting battle. I think the best ones are close.
Yeah, I can't see any profound truth in this statement, but I would expect this person to say something to this effect. Maybe he was going for some shock value.
DeleteLee
That's a ridiculous statement.
ReplyDeleteThere are a great many things I feel great passion about without having to hate a lot of other things to try balancing it out or intensifying my passion for what I love.
That's a non-thinking person attempting to appear more profound than they really are. (Sort of like angry pseudo-atheists who try to pass themselves off as true nonbelievers.)
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
I thought is was ridiculous as well, but I just was hoping to give the person who quoted it the benefit of my doubt. Seems like no one has an explanation yet that would give the statement any validity so I guess my initial reaction made sense.
DeleteLee
Have a wonderful Christmas Lee , to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteAnd my best wishes to you, Yvonne, with hopes of better days ahead in 2015--for all of us.
DeleteLee
hmm, I didn't find that FB statement to be particularly offensive at all. In fact, I kinda get it. For example, I hate --- perhaps abhor would be a better word -- people who abuse and torture animals, pedophiles, pharmaceutical company executives who cover up deaths and adverse affects in drug studies so they can bring in more millions on top of the billions they already have, corporations who have no regard for the health or lives of individuals for the sake of profits, etc. I can go on and on and on about the things that make my skin crawl. Those things I hate (abhor). I'm very passionate about how angry those things/people make me. I'm equally passionate about that/those which I love. The statement makes perfect sense to me.
ReplyDeleteGlad the BOTB results was a tie. It was definitely a tough call. But I did so enjoy the Cimorelli Sisters!
Wishing you a fabulous and very merry Christmas, Lee! May this coming year be filled with love, peace and abundance for us all. Many blessings to you!
ANGELSBARK ~
DeleteI don't believe anyone has said the Facebook statement is "offensive". What I have said (and what I believe others have also implied) is that the statement is nonsensical.
So are you saying that you would feel less love, less positive passion for animals; children; and those who do research, discovering and promoting inexpensive, natural remedies for health problems (such as cayenne, lecithin, water, Sodium tetraborate, etc.) if it weren't for the existence of animal torturers, pedophiles, and deceptive people who make billions at the expense of suffering people?
Because THAT is essentially what the Facebook statement is saying, and THAT is what you appear to be agreeing with.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
No I'm not saying that Stephen. I guess I'm reading it differently than the rest of you then. What I said makes perfect sense to me. Maybe what I'm saying isn't exactly what the other person is saying but that's how I read it.
DeleteI did get a sense of what you did, Michelle, which is why I posed this statement for my readers. Coming from another person than from whom it came I might have found it to be perfectly fine as you did. I get what you are describing, but I would lean more toward what Stephen and others feel about it. To me it is a statement of narcissistic nonsense that is intended to be controversial in one sense and full of the one who posted it in another. I guess I just don't see how hating can promote love--there is an antithesis that is contradictory in my view of this concept. In other words I don't see how one idea would follow from the other. But I believe I understand your perspective.
DeleteLee
To me, what the statement is saying is that there are so many bad things in the world that it makes the good that much sweeter, that much more precious. That's how I read it, how I interpreted it. Maybe I'm off in what the person is saying and I don't know what this person's frame of mind or reference is. I'm just telling you how the statement hit me.
DeleteAnd and I can see what your saying too, about the antithesis of it. You have the advantage of knowing the person who made the statement and maybe that's giving you your perspective??
Delete>>... To me, what the statement is saying is that there are so many bad things in the world that it makes the good that much sweeter, that much more precious.
DeleteANGELSBARK ~
Ahhh... OK, I understand the way you were seeing it.
Neither of us has the advantage of knowing anything about the person who made the statement, so Lee's take on it is probably more informed than ours.
To me, the way it's worded seems to more strongly suggest the way in which I interpreted it, but I "get" how one could also interpret it the way you did.
I guess, in the final analysis, I would say that regardless of which way the writer meant it, the statement is a poor one because it's open to more than one interpretation with very different meanings.
If the person meant it as "there are so many bad things in the world that it makes the good that much sweeter, that much more precious", then (s)he should have written it as clearly as you did.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
Well, as they say, communication is a basic tool. Good communication is a gift. If they say that. If they don't, they should. :). Here's a perfect example of how important it is to ask for clarification when one says something that's not entirely clear. Wars have probably been waged over misinterpretations. I know a good many fights sure have. And I'm just as guilty as anyone else in both saying things that can be misinterpreted and misinterpreting that which has been said.
DeleteIt's terrific that he/she is so passionate. But whenever the word hate is involved, my first thought was, there has to be another way of arriving to that level of passion. We would all be better off with less negativity in the world. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteA positive approach is usually more productive in the end.
DeleteLee
We have been handed a lot things this year, some where our hands cannot hold it all... thank you and happy holidays for being there as a friend and a captain of the good thoughts.
ReplyDeleteMy Cards:
http://www.jmhdigital.com/2014/12/say-good-night-to-2014-good-morning-to.html
http://www.beingretro.com/2014/12/winter-break-i-will-see-you-all-in-2015.html
Peace!
Jeremy [Retro]
And thanks for being there for us, Jeremy!
DeleteLee
Hi human, Lee,
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to stuff on Farcebook, a lot of it just bores the heck out of my human. That pawticular statement you allude to, however, may imply that the perverse energy of hatred actually intensifies the loving ideals. Who knows.
I think it's time for an alternative to all these never ending hops and fests. How about a "Battle of the Barks"?
Boxing Day Eve comes and goes. Just another day of quiet reflection and thumb-twiddling for my human.
Pawsitive wishes to you and your loved ones, kind human sir.
Penny
Hope you had many doggie treats in your stockings!
DeleteLee
That quote seems bizarre, even if it's meant to be some kind of existential philosophical statement. Maybe she meant it as some kind of quasi-Taoist statement, since a lot of lines in The Tao Te Ching are about duality and opposites, how nothing can exist or be realized without its opposite.
ReplyDeleteHave a very Happy Christmas!
Well, I guess that's certainly one way to look at it though I'm not sure the person who put it on FB was seeing it that way.
DeleteLee
I think that quote is kind of self-indulgent: allowing yourself to hate many things can never yield good results, I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteI would think any negative outlook would be self-defeating for positive thinking.
DeleteLee
Been wanting to respond for a while and now I can. I was dismayed to see this person's quote ... such energy in hate. Dislike would be a better word, I suppose. Does one need the negative in order to see the positive? Yes, I suppose so ...although the positive, beauty, art, poetry etc can stand alone and needs no comparison.
ReplyDeleteChristmas has come and gone - presents are lovely but presence of family is better! Hope yours was good Lee, and may the spirit of Christ Mass remain and continue to inspire us all..
Christmas turned out well and now another year lies ahead. May we all have great productivity and many positive thoughts.
DeleteLee
Christmas is over and I'm just now reading blogs. It was a great Christmas with both Presence and presents from family.
ReplyDeleteAs to your Facebook "friend" and their post - you know them and I don't so that adds a different perspective of course. But in my reading of it, I take it as a poorly written expression of depth of emotion. I remember when my middle child was young his emotions were very extreme. He would cycle about every six weeks from intense highs to deep lows. He was quite passionate about everything. His passion could be quite positive or quite negative. With maturity and time, he evened out and now at 18 is firm in his likes and dislikes, but no longer cycles in emotion. That said, I think what your FB friend was perhaps trying to say was that his emotional make up is such that he is extreme in his expressions. I think the word "hate" is used much like the word "love" - too often and usually inappropriately. Such as I "love" chocolate and I "hate" housework.
Just my two cents. I'[m looking forward to being back in the blogging world in 2015 - I've missed everyone!
Your interpretation might be spot on in this case. I would probably want to ask him what he was thinking to know for sure. Glad you stopped by.
DeleteLee
Lee
ReplyDeleteWishing you a Happy New Year and sending a thanks for all you do to encourage the blogging community!
I appreciate your kind words.
ReplyDeleteLee