re-introduce myself to the group… And this mainly pertains to my communication style… I’ll do it in a BACK THEN and TODAY manner…
BACK THEN
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I was a shy guy who for the most part did his best not "to rock the boat" one way or the other — very boring, by the way, made HS miserable — no miserable is not the right word — let’s say — uneventful, and overall mostly forgettable — there were a couple of slip-ups but nobody’s perfect.
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I had opinions but would rarely share them in a group setting, as again that would "rock the boat", and who cared what I thought anyway.
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Also part of the "rocking the boat" — rarely did I question the motives, facts, or statements of others, merely and naively accepting them as fact…
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And as I wrote in response to M & L Topic #1 Biggest Regret:Not realizing in Jr High that it was possible to be witty and sarcastic without being borderline mean, insulting, or disrespectful (though that was never my intent — I have always been more interested in the reaction to the comment — facial shock, eyes popping, jaw-dropping, etc.).The fallout from the negative reactions to this conduct resulted in my becoming paranoid about speaking out and offering opinions; my becoming an overly private person, making it difficult for others to get to know me and me others during High School.
Then in October of ’88 I moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex — started a new life free from the past, came out of my shell and…
TODAY:
- I am analytical in my communcation and do offer opinions freely.
- I still take a "feel it out" approach in group settings to determine the style of communication needed for the arena, but I offer opinions if asked, and do not shy from accepting a leadership role.
- I never take anything too seriously — not even myself — and neither should you.
- I am irreverent and sarcastic in my commentary and analysis of things — along the style of Dennis Miller.
- I believe there is something humorous in most everything.
- No longer am I afraid to rock the boat — I will say things to provoke a response (Shock & Awe) — not meaning a word of it — to change the way people see things; to get them thinking outside the box to see things through different perspectives.
- I am an EOO (Equal Opportunity Offender) — I don’t care who you are — if you do something stupid, or something lacks merit or logic — it’s OPEN SEASON…
- I question most everything, no longer yielding to such dictums as it has always been done this way — or just because — I want to know the why? And the can it be done better…
- I often demonstrate absurdity by being absurd.
- I believe the road of improvement has no end.
A couple of things that haven’t changed…
- As much as I still hate to admit it and though I have tried to change it — I am still a nice guy… One of the best people you could ever meet. Part of this personal problem of mine is I will never intentionally do anything to harm anyone — I’ll often take heat for the inaction of others, or just flat out cover for them, or take the consequences upon myself.
- I am still relatively a difficult person to really get to know
Try as I might to use Professor Gholom Sharifi’s mantra regarding this site: "If you don’t care… I don’t care"… I have found that I do indeed care — possibly too much as far as my desire for broad and greater participation — but alas, all I can hope for is for more of you to find my passion for this site and participate. As I must accept the fact that some of you may never post or provide your contact information, you’ll have to accept the occasional rant regarding your chosen absence — and if that unnerves you — you’ll just have to learn to blow it off and dismiss it as my passion for this site.
So for now, I do not need Jason to slip me something to calm me down…
THS 88 on the Web 