Why, may I
ask, are so many people hell-bent on bringing tall poppies down?
Or, to put
it another way, why are haters gonna hate?
Perhaps
the answer is simply just that. Haters exist, and they will be hatin’. Oh boy,
they’ll be hatin’ things left right and centre. They’ll hate anything and
everything.
Some
scientific studies have suggested that a mutual hatred of something can bring people
together. In George Orwell’s book 1984, the super-states Oceania,
Eurasia and Eastasia are at perpetual war. Despite changing alliances, the Oceania government
rewrites history such that they have ‘always been at war with Eastasia’.
Winning the war
is impossible for any of the super-states. So why do they go on fighting?
Perhaps it was
to keep everyone too weak and uneducated to fight back against the government.
But also, having an external common enemy prevents internal hatred, especially against the government.
So is that why
everyone’s hatin’ so much? So that we can bond with those around us? By
bringing others down?
The ambitious
and talented will ALWAYS be told by some that they can’t. That it’s impossible.
That they aren’t good enough. That they are a tall poppy and should just SHRINK
THE HELL DOWN to be like EVERYONE ELSE.
Personally, I
find haters exhausting. If I could make a global announcement to haters, it
would sound something like this:
Dear haters of
the world,
You’re not
cool. You think hating things makes you cool, but it doesn’t. You think putting
people down makes you better, but it doesn’t.
You’re just annoying. Try liking things instead, I promise it's more fun.
Yours truly,
the reckless
philosopher
Before you say
anything, yes, I am aware of the irony of hating haters. But sometimes you just
gotta ding that champagne glass to quieten the crowd, ya HEAR?!
On a more
positive note, if history can teach us nothing else, it can teach us that when
everyone else has stopped believing in you, you’ve just got to believe in
yourself:
- ‘Gone with the Wind’ by Margaret Mitchell was rejected by 38 publishers before it was printed.
- The scientific community mocked Louis Pasteur for years for his theory of germs. His theories had been called a ‘ridiculous fiction’ by Professor Pierre Pachet of Toulouse University, but he believed when nobody else would and is now known as an instrumental figure in the world of microbiology. His work has saved millions of lives.
- It is reported that Thomas Edison took over 10,000 attempts until he invented the light bulb.
- Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
- Julie Andrews was told at her first screen test that she was ‘not photogenic enough for films’.
- Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor and was told he ‘lacked imagination’.
- Decca Records turned down The Beatles for a recording contract, and stated that ‘groups of guitars are on their way out’.
- Van Gogh only ever sold one painting in his lifetime, and it was to a friend of his sister. He still went on to paint over 800 paintings.
The list
(of course) goes on and on.
So what
would have happened if any one of these people had given up and listened to the
haters?
Or, on the
flip side, how awesome would our world be if all those ambitious individuals
hadn’t listened to the haters and given up, but had kept going? Would we all be
flying around on jetpacks? Would we be able to teleport by now?
As you
might have gathered, my point is that you’ve got to believe in yourself, even
(and most importantly) when nobody else does.
Do what
you love, be yourself, and fuck the haters.
“Every
great cause is born from repeated failures and from imperfect achievements.” –
Maria Montessori
the reckless
philosopher
