post written by: Marc
8 Popular Contradictions People Make In Life
I received an email yesterday asking for an accurate costing estimate pertaining to the specifics of a work contract I am managing. After robotically shifting numbers around for a few minutes it suddenly occurred to me that formulating an accurate estimate is actually impossible. Think about it… an accurate estimate? Isn’t that a bit of a contradiction?
This got me thinking about all the other contradictions I’ve recently observed in life. The more I think about it, the more I recognize a subtle pattern of truth. Our lives are filled with contradiction. From our goals and aspirations to our moral values and beliefs, contradiction is everywhere.
By concentrating my attention specifically on the immediate people around me, I quickly came up with the following list of visible contradictions. My guess is that these are popular contradictions found in the lives of many people. If one were to pay close attention for long enough, I bet the list of life’s popular contradictions would be quite extensive.
- People download thousands of dollars worth of pirated software and media over the Internet, but they would never steal from a brick and mortar shopping mall.
- Most people say they appreciate the importance of a balanced life, but dedicate 75% of their life to work and an additional 10% to watching T.V.
- People candidly deny the possibility of gods outside of their own belief system, yet become very defensive when someone reciprocates that point of view.
- In general, many respectful law abiding citizens have also received numerous speeding fines and they never alter their driving habits.
- Many people do their part to save the environment with the overarching goal of making the world a better place for their children. Some of these same people also support abortion.
- Many people living in overly populated urban areas say they are in full support of going Green.
- It’s common to hear people complain about the lack of a diverse perspective in mass media news reports, yet the average American supports censorship.
- So many of us complain about the boring cycle of repetition present in our weekly routines, yet we choose no clear course for correction. We talk, but we don’t walk.
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10 Comments
July 21st, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Overall there is no perfect man or woman so there will always be contradictions in life, love and business…the question to be asked is what rules do you feel comfortable breaking and can I live with my decision to break them…if the answer is yes then that is the choice in life that you live with…and all of it’s repercussions…like a $250 fine from the Orange County Pigs…err I mean Sherriffs
August 12th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
nice jab at abortion
August 15th, 2007 at 7:38 pm
The abortion “contradiction” is not really so if you account for the fact that the parents are, in reality, making a better life for their children by waiting for the best time to birth them.
August 20th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
ABORTION and ENVIRONMENTALISM should actually go HAND in HAND.
One of the big problems we have today is overpopulation. People should have a RIGHT to sex, but not to reprocreate… particularly not when they:
Aren’t ready.
Can’t Afford it.
Are dumb.
Are religious.
August 20th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
@Justin and imbeta:
While I certainly understand and respect your views, I also disagree with them. I think I may write a blog post in response to your comments on abortion. Look for it in the coming days.
Update:
See the post: Abortion: There are Two Sides to Every Story
February 14th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Pirating music isn’t even comparable to stealing. When you pirate music, no one has to pay to replace lost merchandise. You covered that when you said “would never steal from a brick and mortar store”, but then changed to condemning the pirates, who aren’t actual thieves. People pirate music that they would never think of buying, which makes it impossible to put a dollar amount on pirated media. P.S. - 12 “Hot Posts” above this article is how to use google to find copies of music for free. Just noting.
It’s also simply wrong to view one civil problem as a heinous crime. Pirating music, (or media) is simply copyright infringement. Not theft, otherwise all of those kids and dead people that the RIAA have sued (not charged in criminal court) would be in jail right now for grand larceny. The vast majority of movies, music and books downloaded are available for free at public libraries, and using the internet to get them saves gas and allows others to use them from the library.
The fact that law abiding citizens get speeding tickets is because speeding (when not taken to excess) is a victim-less crime. If you are going 3 mph over, nobody gets hurt, but you can still get a ticket. Also, if you speed everywhere you go, and get a ticket every year, the 100 dollars can be worth getting to everywhere sooner.
Living in an urban area can be, and usually is, much more environmentally friendly. Most city dwellers walk everywhere they go, because it’s too much of a hassle to park. They walk to the grocery store, friends houses and work. In the country, the distance makes that impossible. Surrounding yourself with vegetation does not make you “greener.”
If someone wants to make the world better for their children, let them. If they support abortion, its because they believe that it’s better to terminate a pregnancy than have a child raised to alcoholic (or drug addicted) parent who will abuse it daily.
The only people who want diversity in news and mass media are the people whose point of view isn’t represented. You don’t hear christian conservatives saying “Fox News, I would appreciate a libertarian or communist viewpoint on this issue.”
I think it’s fantastic that you actually covered the view of “My god’s real, but yours isn’t.” It’s great to talk about diversity and acceptance, but my oh my, is it tiring!
This post may seem mean, or disheartening, but that was by no means my intent. I simply wanted to provide a different point of view for you to reflect more closely on your own views.
Greg.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
@Greg:
Thanks for the comment. I certainly appreciate your point of view. While it’s hard to say I agree with all your points, I will say this…
Just as you quoted me by saying: “P.S. - 12 Hot Posts above this article is how to use google to find copies of music for free. Just noting.”
You pointing that out really clarified something for me. I can’t really argue for or against your points, and neither could anyone else. I guess I have actually listed 8 contradictions that I believe I make in life… and I’m sure many others feel the same way. However, I am also well aware that there is a another pool of people like yourself that feel otherwise, and probably have a totally different set of contradictions. Or something like that….
Truthfully, I’m not really for or against any of my own points. I’m just making observations.
No hard feelings.
October 23rd, 2009 at 11:44 am
If you have never been faced with the issue of abortion, then you really shouldn’t judge. I believe in freedom of choice. And I have personally had an abortion when I was 16. I am now 40 and believe it was the right choice at the time considering what I knew then. There is no right or wrong in this issue.
May 3rd, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Wow. Number five really pisses me off.
October 16th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
I believe abortion is a very personal issue. Its ultimately the choice of the couple or the single would-be-mother, which ever the case, to choose. I dont understand how any of us can take a ‘moral’ stand and make that choice for a woman. The issue is very complex, of course. But the right to take the option has to exist, simply because its a free world and because there are a few legitimate reasons out there for getting an abortion.
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