I no longer believe in extremes, in boozing until vomiting or betting it all on a long-shot.
I no longer believe in loitering on the sidelines while the world buzzes about. After all, what good has ever happened to an innocent bystander?
I no longer believe that I need to reinvent my cool to meet your preconceived notions. Even if my jeans and/or shirt are tragically out of style, I am a bad enough motherfucker to wear them with swagger. Believe that.
I no longer believe the night in the pool hall really happened, when I was sucker punched for the first time in this life. Therefore, I no longer believe in turning the other cheek, despite scripture or common sense. Always swing first, lest you end up on the ground with a swollen lip and blood taunting your taste buds.
I no longer believe in the corny parables people blindly apply to life. A penny saved may be a penny earned, but not after taxes. Is a false positive a true negative? Depends on what you believe, I guess.
I no longer believe that history only winks and nudges at the truth; even when it’s hidden, reality ultimately tells its shitty story with the brashness of a raised middle finger. Or a swift kick to the groin. You get the point.
I no longer believe in a politician’s phony version of peace, since it always involves infinitely more warfare and death than any peace I would envision. I no longer believe in weapons of mass destruction – oh wait, I never did believe in them, or their existence. Does that mean I no longer believe in America, or that America has digressed beyond belief? Do you believe I’m unpatriotic for asking? Do I care?
I no longer believe that life forces you to grow up eventually; there are too many immature deadbeats for that to be true.
I no longer believe there’s an athlete who doesn’t cheat. And who can blame them? Look at their salaries.
I no longer believe that all people are evil, yet I don’t open my front door for just anybody. In fact, I double check the locks every night. That’s because I pretty much no longer believe humans don’t know how to be human, or humane.
I no longer believe that on the day I was born my father smiled, because he was a poker-faced individual who never showed joy, even when his son brought home straight A’s or sank a mid-range jump shot. I no longer believe that I won’t eventually become him, if I haven’t already, jaded toward a world that expects us all to believe in the make-believe it passes off as gospel.