The Harsh Real World - thoughts on the practicality of Buddhism, and thoughts on Capoeiristic 'buy da game'

I'm a nice guy. Too much of a nice guy, and so people roll over me. Is it relevant to subscribe to the Buddhist belief that: it's okay, they'll get their come-uppings...and be nice to everyone? Is it that only love and compassion can pacify those who are angry and hateful?

(I've made up my mind to start a you-tube video blog in the near future)

I still subscribe to this. Hating others who hate you is simply like holding hot coal to throw at somebody. But what I need to learn is to become a good actor. Paradoxically, being self-less and considering the well-being of others can sometimes mean being firm, or being outspoken, or vocally shooting others down.

"Your car has 150,625 miles on it Mr. Poon" she said with a firm unwavering voice. "Do you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, I understand what you're saying," I said.

"I mean, I have pictures of your car here. Does your car have a spoiler, alloy wheels or something? No. You haven't even looked at the market have you? You haven't even looked to see if our offer can buy you a car of similar quality as yours? You just want more money because you want more money."

I'm speechless. Silent.

When I looked at cars with my father over the weekend, and test drove a manual Toyota Corolla, and then an automatic Hyundai Accent at another dealership, my father kept saying to the dealer agent (who was a really nice friendly guy), "yeah, the Corolla was better, less noisy." "Yeah, the Corolla was cheaper. Their rebate was more"

"Jeez," I said to my dad after Mike, the agent, left us in the room. "You notice that? He's all down-beaten and unhappy now because you said all those things!"

"You gotta do that," he said to me. "How else are we gonna get a good deal?"


The insurance companies are unfair. Their employees get promotions and pats on the back if they can minimize claims, give 1000$ for cars worth 2000$, 3000$ for those worth 5000$. In the end, they go home happy that they'll be promoted, and be able to put the kids through college and buy that nice boat. Why don't they go home with a guilty conscience? Is it good if I stand up to them and stop being nice, try to make them see me as a person, as a human? Maybe that way she'd reconsider the ethical nature of her job?


The point is to stay peaceful, compassionate, and joyful on the inside, but to act/perform/pretend/bluff/dance/exaggerate/flare/'buy da game(in Brazilian accent).


Future plans：
I've made up my mind. I really have. This is my last semester at Albany. I'm moving to Boston around January. Academia prevents me from reading fiction, and prevents me from writing. I already have ideas for 2 books, 1 of which I've been working on for most of the year. Academia also prevents me from interacting in the 'real world', the world of "real men" as Marx puts it, with real social interactions, real activities, not just ideas and thoughts conjured in the minds of idealists. My Capoeira Batizado on November 17th will mark my graduation, even if Batizado technically means baptizing, a sort of beginning, and this works, because every day, every second, every karmic moment is a beginning.