an anarchist
Your local anarchist.
Reading the Dhammapadda and reading through this thread ( What if You Found Out That a Friend Was Racist or Otherwise Hatefully Prejudiced? ) inspired this one.
As a youngin when I was in Christian church, I was taught to only befriend the good people i.e. other Christians. The Pastor would whip out a Bible verse or two supporting this idea.
I'm no Christian anymore, but I was reading the Dhammapadda and found the Buddha telling me something similar. I don't have the book with me right now so I can't exactly quote it, but the Buddha was saying to not hang out with "fools".
Well, I look around in my life, and everyone is a fool or in some other way twisted and distasteful. I know there are people with correct beliefs out there like me, but they aren't in my life. So, what am I to do, Mr. Buddha? Be by my lonesome?
I am no saint, but, if I was in charge of the world, everything would be alright. I have yet to meet someone who I wish to follow and learn from. A teacher type figure. Instead, I am surrounded by statists and otherwise misled and oblivious folk. They are all fools.
So, I reject the notion that you should only surround yourself with good people. Good people are scarce and far between. I may not be good, but I am no fool. However, I cannot follow the Buddha's advice and only hang with the wise because I have yet to find anyone really.
As a youngin when I was in Christian church, I was taught to only befriend the good people i.e. other Christians. The Pastor would whip out a Bible verse or two supporting this idea.
I'm no Christian anymore, but I was reading the Dhammapadda and found the Buddha telling me something similar. I don't have the book with me right now so I can't exactly quote it, but the Buddha was saying to not hang out with "fools".
Well, I look around in my life, and everyone is a fool or in some other way twisted and distasteful. I know there are people with correct beliefs out there like me, but they aren't in my life. So, what am I to do, Mr. Buddha? Be by my lonesome?
I am no saint, but, if I was in charge of the world, everything would be alright. I have yet to meet someone who I wish to follow and learn from. A teacher type figure. Instead, I am surrounded by statists and otherwise misled and oblivious folk. They are all fools.
So, I reject the notion that you should only surround yourself with good people. Good people are scarce and far between. I may not be good, but I am no fool. However, I cannot follow the Buddha's advice and only hang with the wise because I have yet to find anyone really.