People Suck, and I Love Them.

Seriously, I fucking hate people.  They are selfish, parasitic, and flippant.  But they are so much more as well.

One of the core tenets of beliefs is that there is no such thing as a truly 'evil' person.  Well, at least with most people.  Yes, there are serial killers and rapist and disgusting human beings, but those are literally one tenth of one percent of mankind.  The majority of people are good men and women, just trying to do what they think is right.

So why do I hate them?  Well, I don't.  I've never met an individual for whom I had abject disdain.  Because persons never fail to show me something new, something intricate, something exciting.  And this excitement makes me seek, actively, new, interesting people with whom to spend my life.

These experiences that I've had, with so many people have led me to truly love those with whom I spend my time, regardless of what foibles and weaknesses they have, and has changed fundamentally how I perceive people, as a whole.

Which brings me to a chance encounter that I had while at language school in Monterey, California.  I had been there for all of 2 months, just plugging away with a jug of Blue Kool-Aid.  Things were generally not too bad, and being in the military had made my temperament much more even keeled.  I was sitting at the designated smoking area, enjoying a nice cigarette, when up walked a dude wearing a v-neck t-shirt, suspenders, a newsboy cap, and suede saddle oxfords.  I remember looking at the kid and wondering what the fuck was up.  Most people hanging around would never have worn such anachronistic clothing.  I can't remember exactly what had sparked a conversation, or if I was merely eavesdropping on his conversation with someone else, but we started talking about many an important thing, namely the blues.  I would mention an old, dead Black man who cut a record in 1928, and he would come back with two more.  This kid is now one of my best friends.

Had I been the same misanthropic person I was many a year ago, I would never had even looked his way.  I would have simply thought he was an asshole and walked away.  Hating.