Let's play a game where we all pretend that I'm just telling fictional stories.
Scenario 1:
A guy, let's call him Pete, is a pretty terrible guy. He treats people badly. He does bad things. He says mean things. He probably doesn't WANT to be bad, but he is. Pete is just an ass. Pete escapes from reality, more than once. Pete wants to explore the world and forget about his old life. Perhaps Pete has good motives. Maybe Pete sees starting over as the only way to a better life. Blah blah blah. Pete, after ditching all his responsibilities, begins to do great service work. He works at soup kitchens, gives rides to those in need, helps old ladies carry groceries across the street (stick with me, it's fictional!). The problem? Pete still has responsibilities in his "old life" that he's failed to take care of. He has basically forgotten that he even HAD an "old life."
My question: Has "dirt ball" Pete turned nice? How does everyone in Pete's "old life" accept and trust that he's a good person now? Do they have to?
Scenario 2:
A guy, let's call him Mike, seems to be a pretty great guy...especially on paper. Mike is ambitious, athletic, generous, and says all the right things. Mike probably isn't half as great as he makes himself out to be, but for some reason, people believe that he is! Mike convinces an unnamed girl that he is genuine and sincere. Girl tries to believe, but with today's social networking, "falls" into reasons to believe otherwise. Whoops. Mike may be a closet dirt bag.
My question: There is no question. Mike is a dirt bag, caught.
2 comments:
Scenario 1:
I guess that depends if Pete is trying to be this new and improved Pete with the people from his "old life", then and only then do the people from his old life have to trust and accept that Pete has changed, and yet still know they are taking the chance that maybe, just maybe he has not. The flip side is, they choose not to trust or accept and decided that the possibility of the new Pete eventually digressing back to being like the old Pete is just a chance they are not willing to take.
However if Pete is just in his "new and improved" life and is still ignoring that he has an old life with responsibilities left undone, then...well I guess the people in his old life don’t have to believe, or trust anything and they get to decided how or what they think of Pete whether it be based on his new life, changes, etc. or based on what he has done or didn’t do in his old life. This is when people blurt out that bitter-sweet saying "maybe he isn’t good for you but is good for someone else"...you know the one that once it is said to you, your first thought is "why would I want him to be great for someone else when I have been the one waiting for these so called changes" but once you have removed yourself, the better part of you can eventually hope that he is or can be good for someone else.
I have plenty of Petes I can relate this story to and in almost every single one of the cases...nothing really changes long term, and although we always want to believe that they have, sometimes with every fiber of our being, yet no matter how much we are supportive, we wish, we hope and we even pray...at the end of the day...they are still the same old Pete.
Scenario 1: "Pete" is an ass.
Scenario 2: I'm intrigued by "Mike." I need more details.
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