The Common Grudge
This is also an old piece (one of my BETTER quarter-term papers). This was quite to my liking, as many of my friends are currently possessed by the retched creatures... and I always enjoy a good metaphor...thingy. Anyway. A Sci-Fi piece? A Social Commentary? A Spoof?... you decide.
Citizens of the world, I address you under the gravest of circumstances. The dignity, nay, the very existence of the human race is itself at stake, and will surely be lost if we fail to unite against the forces that are now endangering our society. Once considered harmless, this unseen foe has already infiltrated our politics, our social systems and even our very own minds. It’s cunning, it’s deceptive, and it’s uncompromising. It masquerades under many personas, stirring all kinds of malice from absolute abhorrence to disguised dislike, but no matter what guise, it’s nothing more than what researchers call “The Common Grudge.” Harmless, you say? Undisruptive, you say? Far from it, my dear fellows! Few can be found that have not already been overtaken by its lies. It will take the work of the entire human population to truly undermine the Grudge’s influence, because for every Grudge that can be found, another is inevitably nearby. If we are to stop this seemingly unshakable force, we must first educate the general public; they must know what it is, what it does, how to detect it, and especially what to do to fight it.
The Common Grudge (Grudgius futilius) is a tricky fellow, very cunning and rather slippery in his ways. Well, I say ‘his,’ but truly, it has no gender. Nor can it be seen at all – though there are other ways to detect it. Grudges come in all different shapes and sizes, and each will try to take on a separate guise that best suits its host’s thinking. Host, you ask? Yes, I said host. The Common Grudge is a parasite, and is therefore unable to live off anything but humans, particularly the brain, or even the heart (if given ample time and provisions).
The Common Grudge chooses its prey according to circumstances. It has the innate ability to sense fear or emotional injury; thus, its victims are often those who are prone to gossip and/or quick judgments, or have been recently hurt by someone else (referred to as “the Offender”). Once its prey is sighted, the Grudge imperceptibly perches itself on its target’s shoulder and, when the opportune moment arrives, stealthily enters the person’s head. It then establishes itself around the brain, all the while whispering its lies to its new host. These lies will almost always be about one of two things. The first, and most apparent, is usually about “the Offender” – in the cases discussed above, this person is either the one who hurt the Host, the topic of negative gossip, or someone the Host just doesn’t particularly like. The second type of lie is more complex, and harder to discern from truth; the Grudge will always try to justify its residence by giving legitimate reasons [all fallacies, of course] for the host to be mad at the aforementioned ‘Offender.’ New evidence suggests that the Grudge can do more than just persuade, however; researchers theorize that the Grudge has the ability to obscure the Host’s vision when looking at the Offender with a sort of “screen” effect, thus replacing the image with one that conjures up even more disdain until it has grown into blind hatred, and keeping the Host from seeing the real person.
The easiest ways to identify a Grudge stems from its own shortcomings. Once it is well established, the Common Grudge will begin to feel the urge to show off; this, in turn, provides an ideal opportunity for identifying Grudges in others. Conversation in particular (especially about the Offender or any related topic) will provoke the Grudge to show itself through the Host’s expression, words, or actions. The resulting evidence can range anywhere from a subtle eye roll, to a derisive comment behind the Offender’s back; they may even hurl insults and accusations directly at the Offender. Sadly, while this can help educated citizens recognize a Grudge, it can also make matters worse – more often that not, the Host’s Grudge will hurt, upset, or offend the original Offender, and once they are emotionally injured, they’re bound to take on a Grudge of their own. For this reason, Grudges tend to come in pairs. However, because many people have more than one Offender, it is possibly to end up with quite an accumulation of Grudges living - cramped but content - inside their skull. And they don’t just sit there – oh no, not at all. They’ll eat a person alive. If the Offender is a comrade, a perfectly good friendship will be thrown away; if he or she is a family member, family bonds may become strained to the breaking point; if it’s a colleague, work can become hell. Or – consider this: surprising new evidence shows that ‘the Offender’ may not always be a single person – in fact, they may not even be an acquaintance. ‘The Offender’ could be a group - be it racial, social, or even just stereotypical – that the Host is prejudiced against. Experts theorize that things like Prejudice, Bigotry, Stereotyping, and Racism may just be complex aliases for the Common Grudge. If this proves to be true, then we have a very dangerous situation on our hands.
Detecting Grudges inside your own brain is a much more difficult task – even some of the wisest people in history let Grudges have free reign on their character. Even Thomas Jefferson, co-author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the U.S., let a Grudge torture him so much that he resigned his job as George Washington’s Secretary of State just so he could work against Andrew Hamilton (Secretary of the Treasury) rather than with him. In his case, a vicious Grudge emerged simply because of their conflicting political views.
Nevertheless, if you are determined to purge your subconscious of these foul creatures, it CAN be done. But the task can be harrowing. Not only will you have to go against your instincts, you will probably have to repeat the process more than once: few people to date have been able to extricate all the Grudges from a single Host in one go.
The best way to remove a Grudge when you discover it in yourself is to first identify the Offender. Ask yourself who it is you supposedly “can’t stand,” who it is that you always complain about, who it is that you haven’t forgiven. Once you’ve determine why the Offender has earned that title, seek to unearth the truth of the matter. Is the Offender really as bad as the Grudge claims, or has it focused only on their faults? Be sure to remember, all human beings have faults (otherwise we’d have perfect people – and we don’t). Some people’s shortcomings are more obvious than others’, and even when they’re not, we have a tendency to blow them out of proportion. Of course, it is possible that you truly were wronged by the Offender. Be that as it may, we must learn to forgive others even when we know they’re in the wrong, or the Common Grudge will go on flourishing until the human race wipes itself out. Forgiveness may not always equate to friendship, but it does mean that the loathing must be replaced with another emotion. If necessary, confront the person about your conflicts and seek a solution or compromise, but no matter what, try to see their good, even if they maintain their Grudge against you. In case you don’t, yet another hungry Grudge will be poised, hissing and spitting, just waiting for you to open your mind to its treachery.
Undermining every Grudge inside is a long and arduous task for any individual, but it’s a battle that we must win. One Grudge always leads to another: if we fail to forgive those who wound us and cast out our Grudges, then we are doomed to be strangled by our own hatred. But there is hope – a handful of people who are able to free themselves from the clammy, choking claws of the Common Grudge and leave the vile creatures to starve and vanish, could inspire those around them and set off a chain reaction that would remedy our situation. We must meet this threat head-on. The future of mankind depends on it.
Citizens of the world… you have been warned!
Citizens of the world, I address you under the gravest of circumstances. The dignity, nay, the very existence of the human race is itself at stake, and will surely be lost if we fail to unite against the forces that are now endangering our society. Once considered harmless, this unseen foe has already infiltrated our politics, our social systems and even our very own minds. It’s cunning, it’s deceptive, and it’s uncompromising. It masquerades under many personas, stirring all kinds of malice from absolute abhorrence to disguised dislike, but no matter what guise, it’s nothing more than what researchers call “The Common Grudge.” Harmless, you say? Undisruptive, you say? Far from it, my dear fellows! Few can be found that have not already been overtaken by its lies. It will take the work of the entire human population to truly undermine the Grudge’s influence, because for every Grudge that can be found, another is inevitably nearby. If we are to stop this seemingly unshakable force, we must first educate the general public; they must know what it is, what it does, how to detect it, and especially what to do to fight it.
The Common Grudge (Grudgius futilius) is a tricky fellow, very cunning and rather slippery in his ways. Well, I say ‘his,’ but truly, it has no gender. Nor can it be seen at all – though there are other ways to detect it. Grudges come in all different shapes and sizes, and each will try to take on a separate guise that best suits its host’s thinking. Host, you ask? Yes, I said host. The Common Grudge is a parasite, and is therefore unable to live off anything but humans, particularly the brain, or even the heart (if given ample time and provisions).
The Common Grudge chooses its prey according to circumstances. It has the innate ability to sense fear or emotional injury; thus, its victims are often those who are prone to gossip and/or quick judgments, or have been recently hurt by someone else (referred to as “the Offender”). Once its prey is sighted, the Grudge imperceptibly perches itself on its target’s shoulder and, when the opportune moment arrives, stealthily enters the person’s head. It then establishes itself around the brain, all the while whispering its lies to its new host. These lies will almost always be about one of two things. The first, and most apparent, is usually about “the Offender” – in the cases discussed above, this person is either the one who hurt the Host, the topic of negative gossip, or someone the Host just doesn’t particularly like. The second type of lie is more complex, and harder to discern from truth; the Grudge will always try to justify its residence by giving legitimate reasons [all fallacies, of course] for the host to be mad at the aforementioned ‘Offender.’ New evidence suggests that the Grudge can do more than just persuade, however; researchers theorize that the Grudge has the ability to obscure the Host’s vision when looking at the Offender with a sort of “screen” effect, thus replacing the image with one that conjures up even more disdain until it has grown into blind hatred, and keeping the Host from seeing the real person.
The easiest ways to identify a Grudge stems from its own shortcomings. Once it is well established, the Common Grudge will begin to feel the urge to show off; this, in turn, provides an ideal opportunity for identifying Grudges in others. Conversation in particular (especially about the Offender or any related topic) will provoke the Grudge to show itself through the Host’s expression, words, or actions. The resulting evidence can range anywhere from a subtle eye roll, to a derisive comment behind the Offender’s back; they may even hurl insults and accusations directly at the Offender. Sadly, while this can help educated citizens recognize a Grudge, it can also make matters worse – more often that not, the Host’s Grudge will hurt, upset, or offend the original Offender, and once they are emotionally injured, they’re bound to take on a Grudge of their own. For this reason, Grudges tend to come in pairs. However, because many people have more than one Offender, it is possibly to end up with quite an accumulation of Grudges living - cramped but content - inside their skull. And they don’t just sit there – oh no, not at all. They’ll eat a person alive. If the Offender is a comrade, a perfectly good friendship will be thrown away; if he or she is a family member, family bonds may become strained to the breaking point; if it’s a colleague, work can become hell. Or – consider this: surprising new evidence shows that ‘the Offender’ may not always be a single person – in fact, they may not even be an acquaintance. ‘The Offender’ could be a group - be it racial, social, or even just stereotypical – that the Host is prejudiced against. Experts theorize that things like Prejudice, Bigotry, Stereotyping, and Racism may just be complex aliases for the Common Grudge. If this proves to be true, then we have a very dangerous situation on our hands.
Detecting Grudges inside your own brain is a much more difficult task – even some of the wisest people in history let Grudges have free reign on their character. Even Thomas Jefferson, co-author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the U.S., let a Grudge torture him so much that he resigned his job as George Washington’s Secretary of State just so he could work against Andrew Hamilton (Secretary of the Treasury) rather than with him. In his case, a vicious Grudge emerged simply because of their conflicting political views.
Nevertheless, if you are determined to purge your subconscious of these foul creatures, it CAN be done. But the task can be harrowing. Not only will you have to go against your instincts, you will probably have to repeat the process more than once: few people to date have been able to extricate all the Grudges from a single Host in one go.
The best way to remove a Grudge when you discover it in yourself is to first identify the Offender. Ask yourself who it is you supposedly “can’t stand,” who it is that you always complain about, who it is that you haven’t forgiven. Once you’ve determine why the Offender has earned that title, seek to unearth the truth of the matter. Is the Offender really as bad as the Grudge claims, or has it focused only on their faults? Be sure to remember, all human beings have faults (otherwise we’d have perfect people – and we don’t). Some people’s shortcomings are more obvious than others’, and even when they’re not, we have a tendency to blow them out of proportion. Of course, it is possible that you truly were wronged by the Offender. Be that as it may, we must learn to forgive others even when we know they’re in the wrong, or the Common Grudge will go on flourishing until the human race wipes itself out. Forgiveness may not always equate to friendship, but it does mean that the loathing must be replaced with another emotion. If necessary, confront the person about your conflicts and seek a solution or compromise, but no matter what, try to see their good, even if they maintain their Grudge against you. In case you don’t, yet another hungry Grudge will be poised, hissing and spitting, just waiting for you to open your mind to its treachery.
Undermining every Grudge inside is a long and arduous task for any individual, but it’s a battle that we must win. One Grudge always leads to another: if we fail to forgive those who wound us and cast out our Grudges, then we are doomed to be strangled by our own hatred. But there is hope – a handful of people who are able to free themselves from the clammy, choking claws of the Common Grudge and leave the vile creatures to starve and vanish, could inspire those around them and set off a chain reaction that would remedy our situation. We must meet this threat head-on. The future of mankind depends on it.
Citizens of the world… you have been warned!
posted by Erin | 10:35 PM
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