If you’ve ever ventured out into the world you’ve likely noticed that the world is full of empty vessels. What are empty vessels? Empty Vessels are people who physically exist, but they have nothing going on. They’re empty. They have no interesting thoughts, no interesting conversation, aren’t striving for anything, don’t stand for anything, they just…exist. Actually some empty vessels do have thoughts – but they are all negative. These people will be first to criticize, the first to drag you down, and the first to limit your growth.
How can you identify an empty vessel? If you’re talking to someone and they just remain on boring, uninteresting, “safe” topics, or start talking about people, you may have encountered an empty vessel. They don’t have anything interesting to say because there’s nothing interesting going on in their life. It may be hard to converse with them and you feel like your pulling teeth just to get anything of substance. You’ll leave the conversation feeling unfulfilled and like you wasted your time. Or worse, you’ll feel detracted from in mood or energy. You may not even recognize this after the first exchange. It may take multiple exchanges for you to realize that you feel like you wasted your time and got nothing from the exchange. You may try again and again to extract something of value from this individual but eventually you’ll learn there’s nothing there.
Are they truly empty? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Some empty vessels are just empty, simple as that. They made it through school, hold down a job, might be raising kids adequately, but they are just stagnating through life. No desire to learn anything, not intellectually curious, not interested in helping others, no major positions on anything…just empty. Others actually have thoughts, desires, positions, but have been conditioned not to speak so as not to make waves. Our politically correct society has conditioned many people to not speak outside the box so as they might “offend” someone. People have regressed conversationally and mentally inside little boxes and are afraid to let a free thought escape the box. So they just speak “safely.” There’s still hope for these people, but they need to be unlocked from their box.
Should you interact with empty vessels? Depends. If you know they are empty and have no desire to change, then no, do not engage unless your environment makes you. If you do engage, the worst that can happen is you waste your time and energy and perhaps they drag your mood down. It should be noted that they can’t drag your mood down if you don’t care what they think, so there’s always that defense. If it’s someone you don’t know, or know and think they may actually have something going on inside, absolutely engage. It’s possible that you could say something that lights their torch and gives them a bit of fire. They may have succumbed to society’s wishes of not saying anything that could possibly hurt feelings and be dying to breakout; but they haven’t met anyone else yet who has broken out and can show them the way.
Can we change empty vessels? Depends. As mentioned previously some are just empty and cannot be changed or have no desire to change and others are only empty on the outside and need a spark. You can and should try to be that spark if you do so desire.
What’s the best way to change empty vessels? Set an example. Speak freely, carry yourself with confidence and pride, live a life that an empty vessel would admire. We can’t change those that are unwilling to change, but to those who are, we can provide an example and throw a rope. If they seem interested in how you’re living your life or what you did to get there, throw the rope out. Some will take it, some won’t. Don’t spend too much time repeatedly throwing ropes to those who aren’t interested in change. If and when they are ready, they will get a hold of you.
Am I an empty vessel? How would I know if I am? You might be, and you probably wouldn’t know it. What kind of things do you talk about and think about? It’s said that smart people talk about ideas, average people talk about events, and dumb people talk about people. Which do you find yourself talking about most often? Are people engaged when talking to you? Do you feel fulfilled or can you tell that others seem fulfilled after your conversations? Are you genuinely interested in what other people have going on and are you asking about those things? Do you have anything of value to offer? Do you speak freely or do you speak so as not to offend people? Do you avoid topics where people may disagree with you? Does what you say help people in any way? Do you have goals or things you’re working on? Do you have a mission in life? These are some questions to ponder if you think you may be an empty vessel. If you still can’t figure it out, find someone who you know is NOT an empty vessel, and ask them. If they care about you, they’ll tell ya.