Relax

 
My father was a sociopath.  Like most sociopaths, originally known as "the morally insane", my father didn't really understand the difference between right and wrong.  He only knew how normal people reacted to right and wrong, so he was careful to deceive and manipulate to get what he wanted without provoking undesirable reactions from his victims.

In an unpleasant surprise, following my father's recent death, it became clear that my brother really doesn't understand the difference between right and wrong either.  His notion of fairness is so lop-sided that it falls squarely in the camp of selfishness, the same camp that was my father's base of operations.

My reaction to all this has not been well received in the family.  I have been advised to sit back and "let it be."  "Don't rock the boat."  "Relax."  "Enjoy life."  Yes, relax in the face of injustice.

I got that message again for Christmas when my sister sent me the sign pictured above.

Don't get me wrong -- I like this gift because it emphasizes the unbalanced approach of the sociopath, which has permeated my family.  Sociopaths want nothing more than for their victims to relax into the abuse and accept it quietly.  They don't want any resistance.  They don't want you to react; they want you to relax.

There are indeed times when it is appropriate to relax.  And there are times when it is appropriate to react.  The balance lies in knowing the difference.

We see the same dynamic in the world around us.  The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 when our sociopathic leaders lied to us about "weapons of mass destruction".  To this day we are still relaxing rather than holding the liars accountable for war crimes.  We are also far too relaxed about 9/11 truth, Fukushima radiation, Guantanamo Bay and other government torture facilities, unconstitutional NSA spying, judicial corruption, Congressional criminality, and presidential con-artistry.  We are so relaxed that we have become sheep good for nothing but fleecing.

So relax.  Be a good sheep.  Stand still for your fleecing.

Just excuse me if I don't join you.