BRANDEN

Reasons to Give Up
Copywrite © 2004 Branden Davis

Alright, there are probably hundreds, thousands, or even millions of good reasons to give up on the world, life etc... What I intend to do is discuss them, one at a time.

Reason to give up #5

All the cool kids are doing it. Another sure sign that it is time to give
up: Have you noticed that all the worthwhile people give up sooner or later? I'm not just talking about suicide, although that is a good start. In fact, we'll start there and see where that takes us...

Mark Antony - Cleopatra's Lancelot... Offed himself after being whipped by
Octavian. Cleopatra wasn't far behind him. 30BC

Ernest Hemingway - Shotgun to the head... Messy, but effective. 1961

One of my favorite people: Erwin Rommel - The Desert Fox... Cyanide... October 14, 1944

Vincent van Gogh- Shot himself in the chest and lasted 2 days before dying in 1890.

There are lots more, but let us consider these few. Do you think you'll have a greater impact on the world or accomplish anything close to what these people did? These are names that will last as long as human memory. Nobody will remember us, my friend... Die today. 30 years from now, you'll be lucky if anybody even remembers that you existed. If these people thought it was time to give up, who are you to argue?

What about us normal folks? Folks that don't have the balls to hold a gun to their heads and blast away... What about us? Well, I would ask you to look at the glassy eyes of any passerby in the street. Count the number of people you know who still try to realize their life's ambition. Anybody? How many settled for a spouse that doesn't make them sick, a car, and a house payment working a mindless job to pay bills for a life they have already thrown away? How many pour toxins into their system to quiet that nagging feeling that they have failed too often to ever reach their true potential? We desperately pursue any small comfort to fend off the realization that dreams don't come true, true love fails a lot more often than it "conquers all", and that all that remains for us is to count time until we pay a final visit to the hospital and fade away... You are doomed. I am doomed. We might as well just give up.