Brennan is four, so the peeing stance still consists of his pants down around his knees, bare-assed in front of the toilet.  It still makes me laugh every time.  As he drops trough, he exclaims, “Wow, look how big my penis is!”

I looked.

He was right.

That four year old should be really happy about his progress!  Seriously, if this rate keeps up, he’s gonna have a monster!

Now, I’d like to say that this was an inherited trait, but I won’t go there.

It was fricken funny though, but what do you say to that?

I said, “It sure is, Brennan!”

What’s interesting about this and why I found it worthy to write about is that he said it simply matter of fact.  It wasn’t prideful.  He wasn’t bragging to me like he was in 7th grade prancing around the locker room naked because he was the first guy in this class to get pubic hair.

It was just a simple, honest observation that he said with joy, clarity and confidence.

It got me reflecting on how much this tends to change as we get older.  I am not talking about guys talking about the size of our dicks (I am not sure that ever changes)…I am talking about the ability to share with others with joy, clarity and confidence those things we honestly find wonderful about ourselves.

I think somewhere over time we learn how it’s improper to brag about ourselves and how it’s far better to be humble about our qualities and our accomplishments.

I think, in theory, the above statements are a good way to go, but I know at least for myself, they “taught” me many more lessons then were originally intended.

I “learned” to never really appreciate my accomplishments when I was growing up which caused me to have fantastic outer results in life while living through a ton of inner turmoil.

I think this has way more to do with other people’s reactions and perceptions that our own.   We shun praise & acknowledgment because of how it may make others feel.   We don’t want them to feel badly.

As Marianne Williamson wrote, “There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so others won’t feel insecure around you.”

We have to get over ourselves.  It’s time to start genuinely feeling happiness and joy when others – friends or not – succeed and do well.

I just think it’s imperative if we want to move forward as a species.

I know it’s wrapped into our pysche…a component of Schadenfreude, if you will (The unexpected feeling of delight when observing the misery of others).

But to make any kind of shift, we must figure it out.

Look, I am all for capturing the experience of human suffering in art, culture, writing, music and the like as these forms of expression actually broaden our experience as human beings…but our obsession with it goes far beyond creative expression.

Schadenfreude is the basis of modern day media – our thirst to see other people’s misery.   We crave it.  We can’t get enough of it.

Well, I for one, have had enough.  I am not interested.  I choose to unplug.

Perhaps you will too and together we can move forward towards a new world…

A world where a man can scream, “Wow, look how big my penis is!”

And we are all genuinely happy for him.