pieces of flair, life is not

Some people are like crows. They like to collect bright and shiny things that are attractive to them, and other crows. Crows are smart, cunning, but they are also the harbinger of important messages (and death, depending on which folklore you want to subscribe to).

I find people to be like crows; they collect and share, but do so without understanding the importance behind each piece.

You know what crows also do? They will pull feathers out of larger birds while they feed. This does two things. It distracts the feeding bird from their meal, thus making it vulnerable to other aviary theft. It also pisses them off. Crows will do it for entertainment purposes; to elicit a reaction from larger birds.

People are much like crows.

I've watched an uptick of reshareable inspirational quotes (I call them inspiro-memes, you are welcome). I've seen share after share; hoarding these little nuggets of goodness, and some malice. I get it. They are fun. They can be inspirational. They can be horrendous.

They can also be pretty damning.

Not feigning innocence, I understand how easy it is to post something as a passive aggressive elbow jab to the ribs. When I share these things, I always find a way that it can relate to me. I feel like a lot of people are sharing as if they are seeing the world through those rosy red glasses though. Reposting inspiro-memes doesn't make you an amazing person.

It's like responding to tragedy with "thoughts and prayers". They are just empty words if you don't practice what you preach. You can't measure your worth by words that provide meaning if you don't live them. Words have meaning. People have meaning. Words can be written on blank pages, but without a rhyme or reason, you just end up with gibberish. You've "crowed" flair. You successfully collected a pile of shiny pretty things that, without context, provide no knowledge or growth.

Perhaps I'm too literal, or maybe personality inconsistencies drive me nuts, but sometimes I feel static when people pretend. Maybe they're trying to fool me/others? More likely is that they are trying to fool themselves.

Be the crow, and collect your flair, pile it high, and "live your best life". Don't forget to ask yourself if its the truth or not.