“Don’t be stupid,” was something I used to hear Eric tell his younger brother Daniel all the time. I didn’t say anything then… but I should have.

I HATE that expression. It felt dismissive, implying a person is willfully ignoring what the average person just should innately know.

I much prefer the phrase, “I know you’re smarter than this.” It can be a skill vs. will issue (thanks, performance evaluation terminology) because either you don’t have the capacity to rationally think through an idea or you’re too lazy to apply yourself. Then again, we don’t always know WHAT we don’t know when we’re growing up (or even after that).

Here’s a scary little fact: Vampires don’t just become faster and stronger; they get smarter, as in actually able to process data faster. They don’t just notice a few things; they notice everything, and they can put observations and facts together quickly… the very definition of intelligence. Couple that with a photographic memory and you should get the idea it’s hard to one-up the undead. There’s a downside, of course — two, actually: distractibility and paranoia — but if you don’t use what you know and choose to ignore it, that knowledge is useless.

And then there’s personal pride: “What I believe is just as important as your facts.”

I think there exists a point when a person decides to believe a thing, and once chosen, no amount of evidence can shake their position on that belief. It can be argued that religion is such a belief; we all know it can be dangerous if it motivates you to extreme action against anyone who doesn’t believe as you do. That said, it can also motivate you into inaction: “We’re doomed, so we can all stop trying now.”

I can’t abide a closed mind, and I know I felt this way before being turned. You only fail when you give up.

And I mean about everything. Climate change, women’s rights, civil conflicts, minimum wage, helping your neighbor…

Ugh.

Okay, fine, make fun. Ha, ha… look at the silly Vampire giving two shits about anything other than her next infusion. Why should she care about things that won’t directly affect her? It’s not like the suffering of others or seeing the world around her failing should bother her. It’s certainly not because we share this planet, affecting every other being directly or indirectly with every decision we make and with no options for relocation.

Where are we all going again? And how did we end up in this handbasket?

Open your mind, Quaid.

I know you’re smarter than this.

Don’t be stupid.

Keep each other safe.

~ Janiss

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