Turn The Other Cheek?
I’m writing this because I’m trying to find somebody somewhere who can convince me that it’s a good idea to metaphorically “turn the other cheek”. I’m sure there’s somebody who believes in the concept, but me? Well let’s just say I’ve finally had enough.
I don’t want much out of life right now, I really don’t. It’s my birthday on Sunday, which should make it a good day for me. I’ll be twenty four years old and the annoying thing is having gotten to this age that my life seems to be taking giant steps backward. I admit that my future is still bright, and hopefully when I turn twenty five I’ll be able to look back at this and laugh, but my present is somewhat less so.
For the last several years I have provided my “family”, if you can call them that, with internet access, email hosting, website hosting, free printing, free computer support, free technical support with everything they can’t figure out for themselves (nothing that impressive, just things like wiring up the television, setting up computers, setting up the Sky remote control to work with the television etc). I did this not for any gain for myself but because I’m a nice person and I’m willing to share. That’s never really been the case from my so-called “family”.
There’s one member of this “family”, for example, who I have to hide pretty much everything I buy from because he’s likely to steal it. If I want to buy myself a pizza to put in the freezer even if I write my name all over the box I still find that it’ll get eaten. If I buy filling for sandwiches I’ll find that it’s been used before I’ve even got the chance to use it. If I (or my sister) buy cereal it disappears before we can eat it. Hell even the batteries from the remote controls disappear when his run out. This isn’t my idea of living with a family, and yet I’ve never said I word and I’ve always done my bit and provided the aforementioned benefits and now I ask myself why.
I’ve always paid my rent. It may not be that much but it more than pays for the electricity I use and the food that I eat, and when you live with your parents isn’t that really all you should pay for? I know plenty of people who live at home and don’t even provide that.
The way I look at it (and admittedly I may be biased but still) I’ve more than done my part and earned my keep, hell I’ve gone above and beyond what the other members of my family have done, especially the boundary-less kleptomaniac I spoke of earlier. And yet whenever the proverbial shit hits the proverbial fan it’s always me who has to suffer for it. This is far from the first time I’ve suffered and until I graduate and move far, far away I very much doubt it will be the last. And yet I’ve always turned the other cheek, I’ve always gotten on with it and I’ve always provided the same benefits. Well that stops now.
The benefits are revoked. No more printing, no more internet access, no more email and webhosting and no more technical support. If they break something they can take it to the computer repair shop and pay the guy £30 just to look at it, I’m done being nice in that regard, but now I ask how far I take this? Do I demand that they pay to move my Sky TV to my new room because I did, after all, pay to have it installed when I moved in? Do I demand my rent returned to me before I even leave this room, after all I did pay for three months. They may be giving me a different room but it’s considerably smaller (and not en-suite) so surely I should be given at least some of that money back before I even walk out the door?
But is that really enough? Why should I just stop there when I can go further? If I’m made to suffer for the actions of other people why should I not inflict suffering on to them? Why should I stand for having to live by one set of rules when others live by a different set? When my batteries run out, why should I pay for new ones? When I want food why should I buy my own? I hold in my hands the power to take revenge oh-so-sweet on the person who’s forcing this change upon me, why should I bite my tongue? Why should I not do unto others as they have done to me? I’m not a Christian, I don’t believe I’ll be rewarded for any of this when I die, I’m just a nice person. I’m considering having that come to an end.
Somebody needs to give me a valid reason to bite my tongue and not give as good as I get. Why should I not respond to insults with insults? Why should I not respond to cheap shots with other cheap shots? Why should I not do exactly what I want to do just as others are allowed? I think it’s time I find out how the other half live…
That is all.