We have all given ourselves a pep talk or two (hundred) these past few years, mostly to get ourselves through some stressful moments. The lack of improvement in what has caused the stress hasn’t made it any easier to try to perk ourselves up, because our efforts to try and make ourselves feel better seem to be devoid of any validity.
Our commercials are placing a lot of emphasis on chasing our dreams and accepting who we are as individuals. Even dog food ads promote lives well-lived, for the canines as well as their humans. The problem is that even the bad guys chase their dreams and accept who they are as individuals. Whether they see it or not, they’re wrong. We can’t seem to be able to stop them. Which adds to our own stress and the need for more pep talks.
Sometimes the rewards for being good people seem to take forever to appear, while the bad people receive almost instant gratification. We have to remind ourselves that bad people get a lot of rewards quickly because the rewards themselves are meaningless. They tend to pursue the same reward, get it again and again, and are never happy with what they received. The rewards good people receive are fulfilling, meaningful and humbling. Compare the evil overlord who defeats yet another army, to the underling among his army who returns home to spouse and children, and you will see the truth of it. The overlord goes on to defeat another army, and another, until none are left or defeat fells them. The underling has the warmth of hearth and home to receive him back, while the overlord rarely returns home.
Prior to any type of competitive event, the masses on either side tend to perform rituals to psych themselves for what is coming. There is self-inflating chanting and encouraging words, whether it’s a battle of hundreds against hundreds or many against a handful. We reinforce our daily lives with talk of self-worth and, whether we win or lose, we regroup and start again later.
The bad people have it rougher, because their pep talks are often laced with words to turn self-doubt and fear into hatred for the “other guy.” Good people talk about playing to their own strengths, ensuring an honorable match and a desire to win. The key word is desiring a win, not making it a coup to wipe out the other side at all costs.
The true victories are not in making oneself seem greater by eliminating those who are not yourself, but in knowing who you are and who they are, and you both manage to live your lives anyway. You should not have to lie to yourself to feel better. Just have a little pep talk about how you can succeed because you are strong, resilient and able.
The face in the mirror is always the one you have to face in life, so make sure that face staring back at you is an honorable one.
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