jo(h)n's wisdom

"no one's happiness but my own is in my power to achieve or to destroy."             

- john galt, atlas shrugged

growing up, my brother and i didn't always have the best relationship, and it often involved one of us purposely torturing the other. when i was the victim, i reacted with a combination of yelling, hitting, and many other things equally as immature, and when i found myself facing the consequences, i justified it by saying, "he made me do it. he makes me so angry. i can't help it because he makes me so mad." i distinctly remember my dad always telling me, "you are responsible for the way you feel. no one else can make you do or feel a certain way. you make that decision." of course, my seven (and 10, and 13)-year-old self knew dad was wrong, he didn't understand my particular struggle. in this situation, it was dan's fault.

okay i was wrong. or maybe i just grew up. and it might not always be as black and white as i'm making it sound, but at the end of the day, what's done is done. blame someone else but you're still gonna be in trouble with your parents, hate your job, or have a broken heart. plus, blaming someone else for your own misery and degradation is horrible.

it can feel impossible to accept that you're the only one who can change your life, but john galt, and jon wist, knew what they were talking about.