Trying to escape the murk inside by smashing the lights in everyone’s else’s life, trying to out-run stupid choices by running everyone else down. Truth is, the Grinch isn’t the hero at the start of his story – every little kid knows that. It takes a special kind of jaded ingratitude to spin him into the hero before the actual point of his tale.
I’m sorry that life isn’t simple, that real life doesn’t fit into the neat categories laid out by your favourite writer/lecturer/hero/leader. I’m sorry that it’s messy, hard to control and made up of infinite variations on every theme. I’m sorry that you can’t divide people up into easily-referenced groups: all women are, all men do, all (group of your choice) think…
Don’t panic! Here’s the good news: you don’t have to fix/categorise/police/arrange the world. All you have to do is live your life, keep your eyes, ears and mind open, learn fast enough not to get stuck in a loop of pointless and repetitive mistakes. Stay curious, stay pliable, and keep moving, even if it’s only crossing the room to talk to someone new. Don’t think you can do any of this without weapons – you’ll need an arsenal: co-operation, generosity, gratititude and, hardest to come by, humility.
