Félix Edouard Vallotton: Cover for Paris Intense (1894)

"This necessarily requires that the Decent fear less and be Relentless more."

As near as I can determine from here, the universal antidote to indecency must be RelentlessDecency. Nothing more annoys the indecent than Relentlessness being employed in the service of the Decent. I know that we most often associate Relentlessness with more nefarious activities. However, I suppose that Decency probably seems evil enough to the indecent, perhaps among the most heinous possible activities, especially for the Relentlessly indecent. To be Relentless in the service of the good side of any equation demonstrates a reassuring dedication, for even Decency demands some consistency. Nobody much appreciates the merely fair weather Decent. One must, it seems, become requisitely Relentless to be taken very seriously. If I retreat into numbed silence or simply disappear whenever another indecency appears, especially when it seems Relentless itself, I might just as well have never been here. My sporadic contributions to the general well-being might not have gone for naught, but they probably didn’t go half as far as they might have gone had I more diligently held my ground.

Relentless Decency demands some courage from its practitioner, for it won’t always feel safe to honestly display your Decency when immersed in some den of iniquity. The indecent never seem the least bit self-conscious about spouting off even the most absurd rubbish in public. A huge part of being indecent apparently requires a steadfast context insensitivity. The indecent know no place where some things aren’t appropriate. Whether it’s evangelizing their faith or deploying their potty mouth, the indecent never catch the cues that scream “Not Here!” The indecent, though, never seem to embarrass themselves. They often seem incapable of shame, so they continue screaming at and terrifying otherwise innocent sheep. The Relentlessly Decent at least attempt to shush them, if only because they deeply feel the embarrassment the indecent have grown incapable of sensing.

Decency too often seems like an awfully little light when compared with the klieg lights indecency so often employs. A deep ‘little old me’ sense often accompanies Decency on his rounds. He perceives profound inequities but often believes he’s not nearly as influential, consequential, or powerful as he might well be. Decency can be awfully self-effacing, sometimes to the point of self-negating. This seems tragic, especially since Decency might be the far more powerful and longer-lasting intervention. It does seem to require an ounce or two of the old mustard seed to be added to each deployment. Indecency looks so big and mean, while Decency seems, well, rather wimpy in comparison. It doesn’t help to believe that Decency has God on its side when a clear and terribly present devil appears to be standing alongside.

Decency will likely always remain a faith-based initiative, rendered Relentless only through practice. This sort of practice does not seek perfection, but simple repetition. The underlying concept proposes that success stems from RPMs. Since indecency always seems to be spinning some story, its antidote might be opposite rotation. This isn’t necessarily a competition but more of an active comparison. Indecency’s spin tends to compare poorly to even scant ounces of Decency fearlessly deployed. Indecency’s spin almost always seems absurd in comparison, if only because it tends to be absolutely stupid—no need to overemphasize any comparison. Simple presence shows the superior choice. Indecency thrives in a world devoid of countering commentary. Decency does better in nearly every situation where choice and diversity are present. Decency itself is that choice and diversity only when it’s adequately Relentless. Because indecency can only survive in echo chambers, Decency demands that it be at least Relentless. This necessarily requires that the Decent fear less and be Relentless more.

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