692,040 hours of choice and consequence

I've been working my way through hundreds of images my brother took at SEMA in Las Vegas, USA a week or so ago - If you don't know what SEMA is I've quoted the first few lines from their website below.

The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world segmented into 12 sections with over 2,400 exhibitors and a New Product Showcase featuring nearly 3,000 newly introduced parts, tools and components.

The Show draws the industry's brightest minds, hottest products and over 70,000 domestic and international buyers to one place, the Las Vegas Convention Center. In addition, the SEMA Show provides attendees with educational seminars, product demonstrations, special events, networking opportunities and more.

It is a trade-only event and those interested in cars and trucks, but not eligible for entry will do anything to get themselves there, and in the door - For most it will never happen. My brother is in the trade and travels from Europe to attend every year...I review his photos each year wishing I was there.

As I was flicking through the selection of incredible cars and trucks I came across this Chevrolet truck (above) which I really dig! I like its imperfections, its low-slung look and...Well, it's a truck and we all know how much I love trucks. To be honest it's not an imperfect vehicle at all and many thousands of hours have gone into crafting what you see here; The truck has been built to look like it just got towed out of a field where it has sat for the last 30 years.

Here's another that really appealed to me, still a pickup, but this Dodge is completely different from the Chevy above. One of my brother's mates helped build this one and judging from the pictures it's been meticulously crafted and a lot of engineering-magic and mechanical skill has been used to bring it together.

---

---

---

---

Here's the thing...You guys may find these cars ugly, impractical, redundant, wasteful or any number of other adjectives one could apply. What appeals to one may not appeal to the other, I guess, and that's exactly how it should be. Wouldn't the world be boring if we all liked the same things? Yep, sure would!

Like with the Chevrolet and Dodge pickups above we put thousands of hours-work into life, our own and those around us. The average person spends about 79 years on the planet; That's 692,040 hours - A lot more than it took to create these cars. Still, after all those hours of work, other people find faults and, indeed, we find fault in ourselves.

We dislike people, and ourselves, based on perception or information gathered. We criticise others and ourselves, sometimes over the most trivial of things - And increasingly these days we turn those criticisms and dislike into hate-speech and actions such as online-trolling. It seems humans see it as their right to do so, and attach some sort of self-benefit to it - As crazy as that seems to me.

We all know trolling, bullying some call it, can be hurtful and to be honest I don't think there's any place for it - However it will continue, and continue to hurt. It will drive people away from others, from what they like doing, and prevent them from putting themselves in harms way - Case in point: Steem, or any of the social medias for that matter. [It shouldn't be classified as "harms way" although it really is right? Some of the trolling on this platform has been totally despicable.

692,040 hours remember?

It's about all there is in life (often much less too) and in my humble opinion I believe most would like to live it in the best way possible, whatever that means to them.

It's sort of like the cars at SEMA - Some are this, some are that, but all have been lovingly and expertly crafted, and are appreciated for what they are. It sort of serves as an example for how a human should approach their own life maybe, and if they have the capacity, the lives of others also. You know, be accepting of themselves and others rather than judgemental and antagonistic.

For me working towards my best version over 692,040 hours is too huge to fathom. I simply work on being 100 percent present each minute, hour and day and being the best incarnation of myself...Stringing those moments together give me the best chance of living my best 692,040 hours.

I'm not trying to preach of course - I write this more as a self-reminder and considering it's my blog I feel completely empowered to do so. Just in the same way a person could choose to pursue the worst version of themselves and their life. Their life, their choice. A person could also choose to troll me because of this blog - Have at it too, I say - Create whatever it is in life you would like. Good or bad. Choice and consequence.

So, is life really just SEMA, only about us fleshy-lumps called people? A collection of body parts instead of engineered parts? A kooky, weird bunch of nutbags all collected together on the same planet? Shiny, dull, chromed, dumped, tubbed, supercharged, frenched, painted, hot-rodded, rat rodded, chopped, extended, billeted, polished, turbo-charged, ugly, beautiful, thin, fat, low, high and oddly-shaped people all trying to make their way in life? Yeah, I think so. Not cars, but equally diverse and odd - And generally all with some element to contribute.

The people at SEMA, the same ones who may troll and bully others in other aspects of life, walked around looking at vehicles they liked or didn't like...BUT STILL RESPECTED for what they were and the hours and effort that went into their creation. Many would have found great inspiration too.

You know, I think it wouldn't be too much to ask for people to do the same with other people. After all, 692,040 hours is a long time and a lot of work to put into life only to have it torn down and scrapped like an old car. Doing so to others, choosing to do so, is also choosing the consequences that come along with it. The troller or bully is never impervious to the effects of their actions, they may not be as apparent as those upon the troll-ee, but they are there - And will come pay a visit someday.

We all have choices in life. Troll and bully others. Tear people down, hurt their feelings [which in turn hurts one right back - Eventually]. Take ownership of oneself. Be responsible for our actions. Throw ones life away cheaply. Value life and create the best version. Sit impassively like that old pick up in the field I mentioned and rust away; Or simply live the best 692,040 hours possible.

Choices, with consequences.

---

Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default

Discord: @galenkp#9209 🇦🇺

---

---

I wrote this because one of my favourite steem-people has "taken a break from steem-insanity" for a while. I believe it's because of constant trolling and it makes me sad as I miss that person being around.

---

---

Thanks to my brother for loan of a few images.