Socially Ackward

I've been a fan of Dilbert for a long time. I think he hooked me when he explained the "Dilbert Principle". If you are old enough you have probably heard of the Peter Principle. Those of you who are younger or don't read much, rest assured, it has nothing to do with porn or anyone's penis. The Peter Principle is that your boss was promoted to their level of incompetence. In other words they did a good job on one level and then were promoted to a job they were incapable of performing. The Dilbert Principle is that the Peter Principle is just wishful thinking. You would like to believe that your boss used to be good at something. Having worked for state government I understand the Dilbert Principle more realistically reflects how bosses in that system function. Back to the comic strip above.
Totally honesty is most often a problem. While I don't agree with everything Dilbert said there are things there that have come out of my mouth. "I think life is a brief, meaningless event in a random universe that doesn't care." There is no hand above, no supreme being guiding life and taking care of us. If a god that sees all, knows all and controls all sits back and allows, for example, the slaughter of 6 million Jews (allegedly his "chosen people") in the Holocaust or the murder of 20 some children at Sandy Hook School, he or she is unworthy of our worship. Okay, it makes me a jaded nonbeliever. There are those who believe that god loves me. That he died for my sins. However, if I don't do a few specific things, this god who unconditionally loves me will send me to a place of eternal torment. So, it is his way or the hell with me. I think I will stick with a random universe that doesn't care what happens to me.

Dilbert also says: "I think all human actions are driven by selfishness." I am willing to allow maybe one percent or so that are done for reasons other that complete selfishness. Hell sometimes I even do things with no thought of repayment or benefit to myself or my loved ones.  You could argue that I do those things so that I feel better about myself and that is more than likely true. If you look at it with the same jaded eye that I use looking at religion then more often than not I am misleading myself into believing that there is no selfish motive for my acts of kindness.

Dilbert finishes this strip with the question: "Am I still being totally honest or should I act curious?" Being, more often than not, uncomfortable in social situations; it is difficult to know when to ask a relevant question or when to just shut the fuck up. Since this blog post appears to be headed in an awkward direction at this point I will do what I too often fail to do. STFU.