The other day I was talking to a coworker about something and he
jokingly (I think) said I was being condescending. Later on that day I
was reflecting on what he said, trying to analyses my habits to see how
much truth was in what he said. It got me thinking about how there is a
fine line between being condescending and being passionate about
something. It's pretty hard to confuse the two when you are being
positive but when talking negatively about something, what matters more,
what you say or how you say it?
Remember "Mastery"
by Stewart Emery? My favorite part is the bit where he talks about
living with so much mediocrity. My Kung Fu journey certainly has made me
less tolerant of mediocrity and I try to surround myself with as much
quality as possible. So while on the quest to expect more from myself
and others I can sometimes be outspoken on my opinions. If I think
something is bad or lacking quality I'm not afraid to say so. What
worries me is, at what point does voicing my opinion make me sound like a
jackass. Is it just the way I express it? The words I choose and the
level of enthusiasm? Or is it a matter of how often I give opinions?
When
it comes topics like art, music, movies and food it's often a matter of
preferences. That's not always the case though, some things transcend
preferences and fit squarely into good and bad categories. For example,
McDonald's food is bad. I'm not saying I can't enjoy a quarter pounder
now and then but there is now denying that McDonalds food is lousy. Its
cheap, low quality and it really doesn't even taste that good. At the
office we often group up to go out for lunch and I have one co-worker
who's top choices are always A&W, McDonalds or KFC. Therefore I
hardly ever go eat out with this person.
Something that
really baffles me is how uncomfortable some people get when confronted
with enough enthusiasm. I'm mostly talking about the positive, happy, I
LOVE THIS THING kind of enthusiasm. I think people tend to get alienated
if there is a big difference in passion levels. If you really like
something and you share it with someone who can't identify with it you
might just drive them away.
I don't really know where I'm
going with this. Just something I've been thinking about. It's
important we try to stay aware of the way we effect those around us and
the way we carry ourselves less we be misinterpreted. Its now time for bed, falling asleep at the keyboard...
Sifu Jesse Wetter
http://liveforeverordieintheattempt.blogspot.ca/
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