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6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Person
 

Quaneaser's picture
(Baboon, 121
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 5:05am
confused-man.jpg

Let's say that the person you love the most has just been shot. He or she is lying in the street, bleeding and screaming. A guy rushes up and says, "Step aside." He looks over your loved one's bullet wound and pulls out a pocket knife -- he's going to operate right there in the street.

You ask, "Are you a doctor?"

The guy says, "No."

You say, "But you know what you're doing, right? You're an old Army medic, or ..."

At this point the guy becomes annoyed. He tells you that he is a nice guy, he is honest, he is always on time. He tells you that he is a great son to his mother and has a rich life full of fulfilling hobbies, and he boasts that he never uses foul language.

Confused, you say, "How does any of that fucking matter when my (wife/husband/best friend/parent) is lying here bleeding! I need somebody who knows how to operate on bullet wounds! Can you do that or not?!?"

Now the man becomes agitated -- why are you being shallow and selfish? Do you not care about any of his other good qualities? Didn't you just hear him say that he always remembers his girlfriend's birthday? In light of all of the good things he does, does it really matter if he knows how to perform surgery?

In that panicked moment, you will take your bloody hands and shake him by the shoulders, screaming, "Yes, I'm saying that none of that other shit matters, because in this specific situation, I just need somebody who can stop the bleeding, you crazy fucking asshole."

So here is my terrible truth about the adult world: You are in that very situation every single day. Only you are the confused guy with the pocket knife. All of society is the bleeding gunshot victim.

See the full article here

I encourage everyone to read this article, its funny and rather insightful. Advice is really universal and can pretty much be applied to the pursuit of jobs, woman, etc.

Especially the first one. Everything is about what you do, IE the results. I think it gets at why results on your resume are so important for example. Because it's one thing to say you're smart, driven, etc. but without concrete results it's hard for a random person to believe it.

Was wondering if you monkeys perhaps with more life experience had any thoughts on the contents.

Tags:
rogersterling59's picture

This article is excellent,

AM
 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 3:14pm

This article is excellent, and so very true. Thanks for sharing!

I would agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong.

West Coast rainmaker's picture

Read this, and agree.

ER
(Neanderthal, 2,071
 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 3:30pm

Read this, and agree. Surprisingly deep for a comedy website.

I powered through "A Hologram for the King" after I saw it mentioned in the WSJ, and it made a similar point: A man's purpose is to be of use to others. This is the primary determinant of his worth. This resonates with me.

Commonsense's picture

This article is life

HF
 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 4:42pm

This article is life changing.

ucmaroon47's picture

should be mandatory reading

PE
 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 5:40pm

should be mandatory reading for high schoolers

And so it goes

John Daggett's picture

Good article. I would like

 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 6:17pm

Good article. I would like to add that women don't fall for nice guys. They fall for bad guys that dress nicely.

ALF.'s picture

Saw this on facebook

O
(Gorilla, 612
 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 6:21pm

Saw this on facebook yesterday, great article, loved the Baldwin speech video too.

I'm still in college and it gave me extra motivation to be productive (with self-improvement things) over break.

Some Unknown's picture

Thanks for the link.

(Baboon, 106
 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 6:29pm

Thanks for the link.

econ's picture

Great fucking article,

O
(Neanderthal, 2,415
 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 7:04pm

Great fucking article, period. SB for you!

For my aspiring Entrepreneurial Nomads, check out my blog.

TheKing's picture

John Daggett: Good article.

O
 
Points)
 on 12/18/12 at 7:24pm
John Daggett:

Good article. I would like to add that women don't fall for nice guys. They fall for bad guys that dress nicely.

I thought Bane killed you?

Anyway, the article is great. It's not saying anything original or new, but it's definitely on point with great delivery.

The thing that resonates most with me is his spiel on how most people are haters who will basically trash anything that others create as a defense mechanism. It's much easier to bash the work of others than it is to create things of your own. Unless you get over the fear of other people disliking your work, you'll always hold yourself back and find reasons to not do things.

No matter what, people will hate on things you do. If you're putting yourself out there, someone will knock it. Either to your face or behind your back or behind a computer screen. You can bank on that.

Check out my WSO Blog

IamObama's picture

Every little whiny teenager

ER
(Gorilla, 621
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 4:04am

Every little whiny teenager (or adult), every single fat person, every single bum, every single beta male should be forced to read this once a year.

IBTeaching's picture

Read this yesterday. Thought

O
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 8:04am

Read this yesterday. Thought it was an amazing article, and one of the more inspirational ones I've read from Cracked. Solid post.

Going Concern's picture

Refreshing to see all you

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 9:58am

Refreshing to see all you bros going gaga over this lovely article, but the simple fact of the matter is that Alec Baldwin's speech is borderline psychotic, which is confirmed by the fact that it compels the everday characters of Glengarry Glen Ross to commit crimes, who previously would not have done such things. That speech absolutely did not make any of them a "better person". This leads me to question the legitimacy of this entire article.

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

NYU's picture

Going Concern: Refreshing to

PE
(Baboon, 159
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 10:58am
Going Concern:

Refreshing to see all you bros going gaga over this lovely article, but the simple fact of the matter is that Alec Baldwin's speech is borderline psychotic, which is confirmed by the fact that it compels the everday characters of Glengarry Glen Ross to commit crimes, who previously would not have done such things. That speech absolutely did not make any of them a "better person". This leads me to question the legitimacy of this entire article.

You question the legitimacy of this article because of how those people misinterpreted the motivational ass-kicking they received? Do you blame the creators of violent video games for the misdeeds of those who go out and try to recreate the action in real life?

huanleshalemei's picture

Going Concern: Refreshing to

(Gorilla, 517
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 12:00pm
Going Concern:

Refreshing to see all you bros going gaga over this lovely article, but the simple fact of the matter is that Alec Baldwin's speech is borderline psychotic.

True, I only watched it for 2 mins and that's it. I prefer Ben Affleck's speech in Boiler Room.
But 'the patient is bleeding in the street. Do you know how to operate or not?' is definitely classic.

The Auto Show

prospie's picture

Going Concern: Alec Baldwin's

(King Kong, 1,674
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 12:12pm
Going Concern:

Alec Baldwin's speech is borderline psychotic, which is confirmed by the fact that it compels the everday characters of Glengarry Glen Ross to commit crimes, who previously would not have done such things. That speech absolutely did not make any of them a "better person".

The article is not about being a good person, but about kicking ass. It even explicitly addresses the people who say "i'm a good person" and think they deserve more.

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ky0ung's picture

i posted this article first!

 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 12:41pm
mikesswimn's picture

So, I guess I'm the one who

O
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 12:46pm

"My caddie's chauffeur informs me that a bank is a place where people put money that isn't properly invested."

Going Concern's picture

NYU: Going

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 12:58pm

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

Going Concern's picture

huanleshalemei: Going

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 1:01pm

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

Going Concern's picture

prospie: Going

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 1:05pm

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

TheKing's picture

Going

O
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 1:42pm

Check out my WSO Blog

prospie's picture

mikesswimn: At what point

(King Kong, 1,674
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 1:57pm

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BTbanker's picture

Going Concern. It was fuck,

IB
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 2:08pm

"A man generally has two reasons for doing anything. One that sounds good, and the real one." - J.P. Morgan

Going Concern's picture

TheKing: Going

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 2:11pm

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

prospie's picture

Going Concern: Then perhaps

(King Kong, 1,674
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 2:15pm

Financial Modeling Training
Guide to Finance Interviews
Banking Resume

Going Concern's picture

BTbanker: Going Concern. It

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 2:29pm

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

ricky212's picture

I love Cracked. They come up

ST
(Orangutan, 356
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 2:26pm

Because when you're in a room full of smart people, smart suddenly doesn't matter—interesting is what matters.

TheKing's picture

Going

O
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 2:48pm

Check out my WSO Blog

wsrookie's picture

Was a really good read, and

(Monkey, 39
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 2:57pm
Going Concern's picture

TheKing: 2.) He is not

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 3:01pm

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

Quaneaser's picture

I think you're looking too

(Baboon, 121
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 3:13pm
Going Concern's picture

Quaneaser: The author uses

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 3:45pm

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

Quaneaser's picture

Going

(Baboon, 121
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 4:19pm
HostileTakeOver's picture

The article is great when it

O
(Chimp, 10
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 3:58pm
Y2A's picture

Great article, bookmarked for

IB
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 4:43pm
Going Concern's picture

Quaneaser: Sure you can have

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 4:49pm

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

leveredarb's picture

the ends are all that matter,

(King Kong, 1,228
 
Points)
 on 12/19/12 at 5:31pm
Going Concern's picture

leveredarb: the ends are all

(King Kong, 1,683
 
Points)
 on 12/20/12 at 7:52am

And I think it's gonna be a long, long, time

All American Reject's picture

I don't understand why

CF
(Baboon, 105
 
Points)
 on 12/20/12 at 10:19am
Culcet's picture

Loved it. The main point is

EN
 
Points)
 on 12/20/12 at 11:10am
Culcet's picture

HostileTakeOver: I know a ton

EN
 
Points)
 on 12/20/12 at 11:49am
leveredarb's picture

Going

(King Kong, 1,228
 
Points)
 on 12/20/12 at 5:06pm
HostileTakeOver's picture

Culcet: HostileTakeOver: I

O
(Chimp, 10
 
Points)
 on 12/20/12 at 5:58pm
HostileTakeOver's picture

sorry, posted this in wrong

O
(Chimp, 10
 
Points)
 on 12/20/12 at 5:56pm
mgotrade's picture

You have or don't have a job

CS
(Monkey, 32
 
Points)
 on 12/22/12 at 8:12am

"Death smiles at us all. All a man can do is smile back."

zeroblued's picture

#1 all day. Hardest thing to

(Baboon, 148
 
Points)
 on 12/22/12 at 11:23am

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