This is part one of a three part series.
I believe there are three groups of people that walk the earth. I like to refer to them as the three F's. Each person fits into one of these character groups: the Floaters, the Fighters or the Fallen.
Let's start with the Floaters. Everyone knows this group, and some of you may be lucky enough to be in this group. Floaters, do exactly as they’re named, they float through life. Life seems to be easy for them. Nothing bad really ever happens to them, yet nothing completely amazing does either. They tend to be upper middle class financially. They may or may not be dramatic, but one thing is for sure, they are NOT risk takers. They don't need to be, as everything seemingly just works for them. When they do something, whether business or otherwise, it just comes naturally. They’ve got the “Midas Touch.” They may start a hobby, because they enjoy it, and after a year they are making money hand over fist, while that was never their intention. I am not a floater, nor have I ever been. Luck is repelled from me.
Fighters are the category I call home. A Fighter's life is the exact opposite of a Floater. Fighters are exactly the way it sounds. We are the epitome of Murphy's Law. In fact, most Fighter's also develop a sense of humor about it. I believe its part of the survival, to prevent us from going insane. Fighters get knocked down at any point in life. Climbing, crawling, and beating obstacles come second nature. Also, because Fighters tend to expect the beatings life throws our way, nothing really shocks us, therefore we quickly react to situations. Our minds are constantly battling fight or flight modes, so much so, that our cortisol levels really only work in hyperactive modes at all times. Fighters are tired, beat down and run on fumes, yet non-Fighters think we are made of steel, because we hide these traits well. People call Fighters inspirational, yet a true Fighter never feels worthy. We fight, because we feel there are no other options. Quitting never enters our mind. Fighters also tend to be the risk takers. Dreams are a part of our life, and, because struggles are such a repetitive reality, failure simply means try harder. Because we never quit, eventually we succeed at something. Which continues to feed our ammo for trying harder at the next disaster we encounter.
Then there are the Fallen. The Fallen are those people that get knocked down in life similar to the Fighters, but the difference is the Fallen never rise up. Fallen never move forward, and stay stagnant in life. The Fallen tend to have every ailment under the sun, in particular depression. Their life is never great, in fact quite toxic. They tend to be reclusive, and people avoid them and their negativity. The Fallen are usually bullied and mocked and thought to be hypochondriacs. They are the "The Boy That Cried Wolf," so much so, that no one believes them when they're actually sick or hurt. The Fallen are most certainly the over-dramatized, the divas, the "Debbie Downers." Wah, wah, wahhhhhhh. They tend to look at Fighters in awe. "How do you do it," when quitting is the Fallen's ONLY option. What's funny about the Fallen is they tend to use their obstacles as attention getters. Unlike Fighters, who try to move past negative attention quite quickly, the Fallen feel attention of any kind is better than none at all.
It's difficult for these different character groups to really feel empathy for one another. Floaters can't possibly understand tragedy, because nothing tragic ever happens to them. Fighters have little compassion for Fallen, because they don't understand why they don't just shake it off! The Fallen can't fathom how nothing bad ever happens to the Floaters, nor do they have the energy or stamina to Fight for tomorrow.
We've become a society so complacent. Whether you're a Floater, Fighter or Fallen, we're only driven by ourselves. Until we find compassion, we will continue to breed greed and self-servitude.
We as a society must become sick to our stomachs when we see someone in need. We must only spend our time building each other up. We must take a stand for our neighbors, our families and even strangers that are wronged. We must Fight for Floaters to have empathy and use their luck to create change. We must lift the Fallen, not allowing them to wallow in the murky waters they call life. We must light others within, so each of us may rise.
Whether you float, fight or fall, you only have this one short life. Use this time to soar, and grab a hand and help them fly, as well. What F are you?
