Pruning

I'm doing a little pruning on my friends list. tThis is for people who don't use Live Journal much anymore or who haven't responded to anything I've said in a rather long time. This is only the first round, and more will come in time. As I said in my new year's entry, there will be some reassessment this year, and I'm becoming more selective in who I share my life with, even in a casual way. (I won't be sharing my life in an intimate way with anyone again this lifetime unless something extremely radical happens -- I don't do a good job of such things, and so I'm taking myself out of that game)
Some folks use their friends list as casual aquaintances. Some use it for those who they want to read. Those two uses are better handled over on Facebook, in my opinion. I plan to use this for friends. This also means there's a possibility that I will, for the first time ever, go to a friends only journal.
Also, if anyone knows how to get LJ to remove me from someone else's friends list, I'd be greatly appreciative. I have a couple of folks who have me friended on journals that never really took off, and a couple more that are dead journals that I don't want to encounter anymore on my lists, so I want myself purged from them. In a couple of cases they lost their LJ passwords so they couldn't use their journals, and there are also a couple of cases of people who I no longer have contact information for or whom I won't contact due to interpersonal problems. So finding a way to remove them from my LJ would be nice. If I can't do this I may have to delete my journal instead.

It's Nothing Personal.

It's nothing personal. Always remember that.
When someone rapes your sister or wife or daughter or you just like you did to that sorority girl who was drunk back in school, yes, I cause that, but it's nothing personal.
When someone opens up a big can of manipulation on you just like you did all those times, yes, I caused that, and it's nothing personal.
When someone slams you to the curb because their ideology makes that the right thing to do, just like you did with yours, I'm behind that, and it's nothing personal.
When you find yourself left high and dry and all hot and bothered just like you've done to others before, it was my doing, but it's nothing personal.
When you feel the bullet going in and it reminds you of when you were on the other end of the gun, it's me who really pulled the trigger, but it's nothing personal.
When you come into your home and everything's gone, and you're thinking about that instead of all of the times you've cheated, or took advantage, or even stole something, I'm the one who really took all your stuff that you treasured and will never see again, but it's nothing personal.
When your finances go completely to hell in a handbasket because someone else is trying to increase their share, then of course it's me behind it all, but it's nothing personal.
When you get your heart broken just like you've done to so many people before, I made that happen, but it's nothing personal.
When the guy in the bar starts swinging his drunken fists into your face, just like you've done so many times, I made him do it, but it's nothing personal.
When the love of your life runs out on you, I made him or her do it, but it's nothing personal.
When you get hurt by others, feel pain inflicted by some random action you can't understand, or see what seems like bad luck dash your entire life into the ash can, I'm behind it but I'm not smiling or angry, because it's nothing personal.
When the things you've done before that show that you're a selfish ego driven poor excuse for a human being return to ruin everything you are striving for just when you think you might be about to get a break, look to me for blame because I am the one who orchestrated it all, but it's nothing personal.
And I'm going to keep doing these things to you until you figure out what you're doing wrong and learn the lesson. And it's nothing personal.
Who am I? Some call me Universal Return. Some call me Karma. Some even may call me God's Will. But they're all wrong, because I'm not mad at you, and I'm not trying to punish you, or even balance the scales. I'm trying to get the message through your thick skull and make you wake up to the things you're doing wrong in hopes that you'll grow.
And who am I? I'm your very own soul. So we're in this together.
And it's nothing personal. But actually it is, because it's just between me and you, and we're us. And that makes it all very personal -- the most personal thing of all.
Figured it all out yet? I hope so, because in all honesty I have better things to do with our time. But I have a responsibility to you, so I'll keep swinging this big ol' clue by four until I finally get through to you and you start using your mind.
And it's very personal. But with absolutely no emotion whatsoever.
Because it's nothing personal.
Got it now?