It’s probably inevitable. (Does this count as a legal disclaimer?) Somewhere, somehow, I’ll be voicing an opinion, and BAM!, I’ll say, or write, something that upsets someone. Within everyone is a huge ball of emotions and opinions and probably some spices and undigested scraps that haven’t been explored yet, and I’m no different. I have stuff in me that I don’t know about. Isn’t it true that we know others long before we know ourselves?
Not even talking about introversion or extroversion here. I’m talking about self-knowledge. We all seem to be poor critics of ourselves. We don’t judge ourselves very accurately. Accurate self-image is a skill that seems to escape most humans. When was the last time you saw someone dressed in clothes you would consider awkward and heard them admit that they were dressed in strange clothes? Have you ever hired someone who wasn’t any good at what they do? And did they know that they weren’t any good at it? Sure, it’s considered impolite (in some cultures) to point out another persons faults; however, how will that person ever really know if someone doesn’t eventually give them an honest, objective opinion? And ooh boy, do I have opinions. I could probably list some here. No, I better stay on topic. The point of today’s ramble is two-fold: First, I wouldn’t mind some constructive criticism; Second, I will most likely give out criticism (hopefully constructive) to someone, and with this web archive I can say, “See? I told you so.”
Oh, and by the way, when I’m giving criticism, I try to keep it constructive by using softeners, such as: “It seems like…” and “From my point of view…” These are good tactful ways to show you’re merely observing and not nitpicking. So there you go. If you have read this far, you maybe learned some diplomacy. Maybe you could prevent the next nuclear holocaust.
Xenosthesia.com 