Like One Of Those Little Fish That Sticks To A Shark

I want to caution you about something.

Or encourage you.

However you choose to look at it.

But it's this idea of affiliation.

What do I mean by that?

I mean, this idea that you attach yourself to something and thus become identified with it.

It can be as easy as a school or sports team.

Or as hard as a religion or movement.

"Same team."

Which means, hey, I'm cool.

But it simply doesn't make it so.

Beware wolves in sheeps.

The advice then is to never let someone's affiliations completely tint your view.

Of the person or the affiliation.

Meaning, if someone you vehemently dislike is a fan of X, you shouldn't (automatically) vehemently dislike X.

Although you probably will.

And versa vice.

Someone you love likes Y, you probably like Y.

Or at least, give it a shot.

I cannot tell you enough to not do this.

That was terribly worded.

Do not do.

A good person can be part of something you vehemently dislike.

Your favorite _____ can be beloved by your worst enemy.

So many folks have done a wonderful job tarnishing something awesome because they supported it.

This might sound a bit negative, but I don't write negative musings.

So let's turn this around.

As much as you can't trust people who like the same things you like, you can probably trust a lot of people who are your complete opposites.

Does that make sense?

Isolate person from affiliation.

Judge each on its own merits.

Person as person.

Affiliation as affiliation.

Person does not validate or invalidate affiliation.

Affiliation does not validate or invalidate person.

Neither vouches for the other.

You hearing me clear enough?

And beware the person who has no merits, only (often self-proclaimed) affiliations.

If you study the manipulators, and I have, you learn that they tell you what you want to hear.

What they think the world wants to hear.

And most people come back for seconds.

Can't get enough of that sheet.

And I just want to say, just because they're checking all the boxes don't mean they are the right answer.

Some of the brightest minds, and not so brightest, speak the loudest.

About things we love and things we don't.

But it's important to remember, whether we agree with the person or their affiliation, we should be able to judge the one distinct from the other.

A person does not make an affiliation.

And the affiliation does not make the person.

N = 1.

Only number that matters.

I hope this makes sense.