Jack Shit

Hi there,

Lately I've been using this blog to dump some thoughts. The word dump wasn't chosen by accident. I havent been writing stuff to people read but rather for me to think.

Writing for me (see how this ´writing for me´ phrase gives the person who uses it some kind of passionate aura about writing) among many things, has served the purpose of putting myself in thinking mode. I like to think. Thinking is a very tricky thing. The more you think about something, the more stuff you'll be adding to something (if that makes sense at all). Adding stuff to something can make you overreact over simple stuff but can on the other hand simplify what at the first sight can appear as a complex problem. So you can have a idea about my love on thinking I use it to fall asleep while Im on it. I fall asleep many days saying to myself: "Ok, now I'll think for awhile" Like some people say they'll go count sheeps or watch TV. I'll think and fall asleep in the process. Outstanding isn't it?

Now, back to the beginning. Jack shit that is. The purpose of life. The purpose of life is jack shit. So for the unknown reader the Urban Dictionary definition of Jack Shit is "Nothing or something equivalent to nothing". From that you're now thinking I'm saying that the purpose of life is Jack Shit. Wrong. Life has a purpose of course. The purpose you give to it or if you are religious the purpose some God gave to your life. Moving on. Try to look back. How many life purposes have you had already? Better: have you ever thought about life purpose? Don't confuse it with life goals like being rich or get married and have kids. That's different. The reason why you are here is what I'm talking about. There's a biological answer to it. You're here because your mom and dad had sex and you born. But hey, philosofically speaking what's the fun part of this simple explanation? Right, it's not fun.

My theory: there isn't something called the purpose of life. There are life goals you set to yourself to achieve and that's it. But that's not why you're here. You weren't born to be a successful lawyer or politician, or even like some people say, "to change people lives". You're here for a biological reason (sorry philosophy fellas, but that's about it on life purpose for me).

More, I think that those peeps who say their life purpose is to help children or the poor is nothing but an excuse for them to say to themselves they are here for some special reason. It's like a protection just in case they go nuts from this second to the next one. Of course, it has an intrinsice value, but again, that's not why they're here. It's just something they do to feel good with themselves. I know, it's kind of condescent of me to criticize those who choose to help others without asking anything in return. They aren't asking nothing in particular, but they get something back: a smile from a kid, a hug from an old woman or beautiful and intense life stories.

Think about those who have or had an hard life. Despiste all the bad things that happen to those persons, they eventually had a much more interesting life than those stereotyped lifes produced by "The Society Product", that is wife/husband, house, job and kids (yep, that's about it). I'll give you an example: I've met this guy in a area of Lisbon where he was parking cars for a living. He's an alcoholic and he's always stumbling regardless the hour of the day. That day I decided to know what happened to him. He talked. He had a small business ten years ago. Was married and had a daughter. He was a typographer, had a small shop. One day, two guys enter the shop and offer him a deal: make fake money. He accepted. A few months later, the police apreended his money making machine and he was sentenced to five years in jail. When he got out his wife got his house and his daughter. He went live to a public shelter - where he still lives today - and started drinking and using cocaine. Now he parks cars for a living. Sorry about the sad ending but that's an intense life as well. A suffered one you can say but still, from the inner self experience side, a hell - literally - of an experience.

My advice: turn your life, into a not "jack shit" experience. Think about it, and change while you still have time to do it.

Don't get me wrong on this one, but like they sing in the song: "I'm not a bad man, I'm just overwhelmed"