Another Manifesto

Why I Am Acting The Way I Am. A Rambling Discourse (revised and expanded) 

Life is an endless, conflicting series of demands and needs between Self and Other(s). That statement is a self-evident fact and a truism. Those who disagree with the statement should read no further. You're too dumb and ignorant to understand me. The world is divided into two perpetual groups: majority and minority, just like the state of human affairs and most of the conditions in the physical world: the rule/average and the exceptions. One must know to which category one belongs. The exalted and sublime or the common and humbug. The Soaring Eagle or The Barnyard Chicken.

Unlike Nietzsche who fearlessly wrote a book ("Ecce Homo") in which the chapters bear headings Why I Am So Wise, Why I Am So Clever, Why I Write Such Good Books, Why I Am a Destiny. I cannot brag of similar attributes and accomplishments. Humans long for possessing talents and accomplishments that set them apart from the rest. It's sad and depressing and damaging to one's ego and conception of oneself if one cannot find a single thing/attribute/ability that makes one feel good about oneself. It's a tough job to resign oneself to the fact that one is a plain Joe, boring, average, undistinguished, unnoticeable, just like a pebble on the beach or a grain of sand in the desert. That's why most average, common, untalented folks lie, exaggerate, make up stories about themselves, and slander others so they could feel better about themselves or bring others down to their level. Very few of them are happy with the way they are and their lot in life. I maintain that in order to be happy we must know who we are and where we stand in relation to others. Reality is what it is, not what we say it is or what we wish it were. 

In the realm of ideas, Nietzsche had at least one original idea about morality; Wittgenstein had at least two about language; Descartes elevated the common sense about dualism into a cogent system of thought while Buddhism exposed the nonsense of dualism, with increasing support by modern theoretical physics; Freud had something to say about the conflicting nature of man, especially the Death Wish side of it. He might also be on the right track about the roots of human sexuality and love. I have wrecked my brain to see if I have any original idea/exceptional talent, and I have found none. It's very unlikely I will find one before I die. However, I must say this: I have more self-honesty and intellectual honesty than most folks. A mediocre asshole who cannot bear seeing others outshine him loves to gratuitously and blithely dish out insults but has no courage or fair play to take any insults in the return. A flunkie bitch brazenly accused others of being stupid flunkies. We hate others for what we hate inside us. 

Anyway, while I have not published any poems, stories and essays---and it's unlikely I ever will. I lack true vanity and self-confidence---I have a nagging idea that among Vietnamese-Americans, very few could rival me in translating Vietnamese poems into English. I sometimes wonder how far I could go with English if I have not spread myself too thin. I don't have to be curious about languages other than English. And I must not waste my time interacting or debating with assholes and scumbags and flunkies. Still, I must admit that I am fascinated by the behavior of those who are infected with degeneracy and morbidity. The more I look at these human animals, the more I feel better about myself, and the more I understand why acts of atrocity are possible. Anyway, I always maintain that to live a reasonably solid and happy life, a human must come to terms with who he is and his place in society and the world. To be able to do he must thoroughly have a firm grasp of the concepts/facts/phenomena of sex, love, power, and knowledge. 

Who Am I?

There are so many people who have remarked that I am unusual, different, and not like the common, ordinary folks that there must be some truth in that. I didn't set myself to be that way. I am just my own man. I don't follow crowds. I think fashions and trends are stupid, adopted by weak-willed, insecure people. They feel that they must fit in and be accepted. Look at the current stupid, childish explosion of tattooing. Because presently so many athletes have tattoos, we see young people ape that kind of behavior. The same thing about a belief in a Personal God that has an active interest in the well-being of the believers and to Whom the believers can pray for help. I think that kind of belief is a crock of shit, eagerly embraced by stupid, insecure, delusional, easily brainwashed folks who fucking do not how to think and reason. 

Having established that I don't adopt stupid behaviors and beliefs of the masses, I think I must also disclose that I am reasonably intelligent, and excellent in reasoning and debating. My command of facts and logic is awesome. Only truly educated and intellectual folks are grudgingly ok with that. Stupid and ignorant interlocutors have been put to shame and humiliation by me. 

My Place in Society and the World 

I live because I still find life interesting in the abstract and I am curious what the next 30 years will be like: the global warming, the Middle East, the ascent of China and the concomitant decline of the U.S, the fate of Vietnam.

I don't look warmly at humans. Based on my experiences, they are mostly ungrateful, insecure, conniving, uninformed and ignorant but stupidly and pathetically vain (i.e., without basis, just wishful thinking. I am vain, but my vanity rests on a firm foundation of verifiable facts and "achievements"), delusional, and treacherous. I have only a few friends with whom I am comfortable enough to shoot the breeze. But frankly, I would rather spend time with a dog than with an "average", "unenlightened" human. 

Sex

Sex is dirty, messy, and generally not that great as it is cracked up to be. It is usually animal-like, and only meaningful and sublime when the partners are genuinely in love. I have had sex with all kinds of women. Guys, you don't know if a woman really loves you or not, until she has sex with you and the way she conducts herself before, during, and after the sex act. You can tell, can't you? Come on, let's be honest now. 

Love

Sex is easy (animals and even insects can do it); Love is infinitely much harder. Only true humans high on the evolutionary emotional development can have it. Human animals don't have it. They only have lustful feelings and longings for security. They are incapable of giving and of sacrifices which are the hallmarks of love. I am much wiser now in this field. Many women in the past told me they loved me, and I stupidly believed what they said. Now I am cool and careful when women make overtures to me. I think I know now when a woman really loves me and when she just plays around. When I was young and green, I stupidly fell in love, twice. I think I know what love is. True Love is forgiveness over and over again. Past rejections and my own disappointments made me wiser and more practical. I am now not bitter at all with the so-called "loves" that ended up as farces. A man's love life is the sum of his amorous experiences. I must say I have had a rich romantic life. I can write a book about it, but I won't. I am not a kiss-and-tell type. Not really. 

Power

I understand almost all human activities involve power in some form or another. Humans love power because of ego. They don't know power is a live grenade. It must be handled with care, otherwise it will blow up in their faces. Those who love power constantly live in fear. You don't gain true friends and love from being powerful. You incur enemies and enmity. I fucking laugh at those assholes who try to exert power over me. They don't know what the fuck they get themselves into.

Knowledge 

Knowledge is what sets humans apart from non-humans. Look at how far humans have arrived because of cumulative knowledge. So those humans who don't respect knowledge and don't try to improve their minds are no better than sub-humans. I look at these ignorant human animals with barely disguised contempt. 

Conclusion:

You could say I am not socially smart for holding the above views and have the stupidity to post them in a public setting. But I don't  really give a fuck as to what and how you think about me. I just want you to know what and how I think. Yes, you may say I am burdened with narcissism, and not uplifted by grace. And you could be right. But I am who I am and I am very comfortable with that.

Wissai

August 10, 2014