For quite a while now, but mostly for the last few months, I have noticed that most people in New York City have become selfish, nasty – and ruthless. Employers don’t want employees, but rather indentured servants who are willing to jump as high as they tell them to – and get paid hardly anything to do it. I also realized that the majority of women here want to date a “tough guy” who is more brawn than brains. And unfortunately for me – I am neither of those. So apparently, if I want to get a job and date – I have to become one of them…

…no thanks.

While I am certainly not “The Perfect Man” – I am proud of the fact that I am a good person, and that I always have people’s best interest at heart more often than my own. Many, many people have said this to me on separate occasions throughout my life – and I see it in my own interactions with my fellow humans. I care about people and their problems, I have been raised to treat women with nothing but respect – and I go out of my way to help anyone I encounter. But I have become aware that in the eyes of the world – I should care about no one but myself and step all over anyone to get what I want. For the life of me, I can’t do that. I can’t turn into one of this City’s “sharks” and lookout for only myself – or one of our City’s fine “gentleman” that treat women with caveman-esque chivalry. Unfortunately, this behavior has left me without a job and single due to the fact that most women think I am “too nice” or not enough of a “challenge” – and that every employee I have encountered would either pay me dirt or not hire me at all …

…than so be it.

In our lives, all we have, despite each of our many accomplishments and material possessions – is ourselves. At the end of the day, we have to go to sleep and be comfortable with the person we are. And despite the fact that I am indeed single and jaded, that I do not have a steady, good job, that I am financially handicapped, that I am without most of life’s normal amenities – and that I “waste” too much of my time helping those that need it – I absolutely refuse to change into the person that society wants me to be. Even if I wind up single and jobless for the rest of my life – I can still take solace that I am a person with a good soul – and that I will never, ever change that despite society’s demands that I do.

I find it very sad that New York City has turned into such a rotten apple. The attitude here went from one, big, happy family after September 11th – to the Wild, Wild West during The Gold Rush. Everyone is out for themselves and simple regard for each other is a thing of the past. But no matter how badly I want to return to a life of normalcy – I would rather be single and homeless than become one of the “sharks” that have been continuously swimming around me…

…I really think it is time to seek cleaner waters.