Paranoia

I think I understand why Mark acts that way towards A.  I mean, if you’re old, bald, talentless, etc. you’d also do the same.  The problem with Mark is that he talks without thinking.  It’s a shame because you don’t do that if you’re fortyish something.  It just shows that you haven’t matured and haven’t learned from the lessons that life has taught you.

Mark would start the day ranting about A.  He’ll say the meanest thing he could say towards A.  I think saying bad things to other people is his form of affirmation.  Yeah, Oprah did say that we all need affirmation but I don’t remember her saying that you have to look down on others so you could feel better.  In the end, Mark admitted that he was jealous of A. and that explains everything.

While listening to Mark’s constraint ranting against A., he mentioned that “I will never talk to A. again even if he apologizes to me.  I also don’t know what I will do if I will meet him in Al Khobar.”  I told Mark that I think his reasoning was misplaced since A. never issued any press statements.  Although I would feed A. with the things that Mark has been saying he just kept silent.  Mark is doing what others like him often do, issuing false, fabricated and baseless statements and letting their enemies confirm it.  What the hell is that?

I was never a jealous person.  I was not born that way.  That probably is the reason why I can’t understand Mark’s behavior.  He’s not just behaving badly but behaving inappropriately.  I also don’t think that jealousy entitles you to belittle other people.  I think that if you at some point in your life have helped others, you shouldn’t use it as a weapon to insult them.  A sane and moral person would never insult people who owe you debt of gratitude (Utang na Loob).  And a sane and moral person wouldn’t even think that somebody they helped has a debt of gratitude in them.

So, I think what he’s going through right now is not a midlife crisis as A would pointed out.  He’s suffering from jealousy because of insecurity that led to PARANOIA!  I don’t know why he’s still in Al Khobar.  He’s better off in Taif or in Mandaluyong.