easy to be hard

Apr-25, originally uploaded by tomleu68.

The old Three Dog Night song says "it's easy to be hard; easy to be cold; easy to say no; easy to be proud; easy to give in."

It may be easy to give in, but it's [not] easy to be hard... to say "no."

It IS easy to give in RATHER than standing up for what you believe in.

Because it's often easier to believe in what everyone else believes in.

There's a bigger market for believing.

There's less resistance. There's already an infrastructure in place. There's power in numbers... that whole thing.

I've heard it said it's easy to be cynical and skeptical... particularly when it comes to matters of faith, religion, and spirituality.

It's not.

It's much easier to embrace blind faith than to ask hard questions.

The faithful are applauded while the reasonable are ridiculed.

This contemptous relationship endures.

Cynicism and skepticism are often used as synonyms. It's semantics, but there's a big difference between the two.

Cynicism is a mistrusting of the motives of others.

Skepticism is a doubting or questioning attitude or state of mind.

I'm often skeptical, yet only sometimes cynical.

It's not easy to be skeptical.

It's not easy to ask hard questions.

It's not easy to doubt and demand.

It's not easy to go against the grain.

It's not easy to risk.

It's not easy to reject the status quo.

It's not easy to stand alone.

It's not easy to choose the minority.

It's not easy to be hard.

It's not easy... but necessary.

More necessary today than ever.

©2010 Tom Leu