Everything in life is about balance: Be confident but not prideful; be humble but not a doormat; indulge every once in a while but always be in control; express how you feel but don't be irrational; not everyone needs to know everything but be honest in all your dealings....it makes it hard to know where the line is, and takes constant course correction.
If I were to be described in terms of personality tests The Color Code says I'm a Blue/White, Meyers-Briggs calls me the INFJ Counselor; and Kiersey labels me as an Idealist. Basically, I'm a lover and a feeler. It's what I do. I love without conditions, trust cautiously, strive to be nothing but genuine with people, and I value integrity higher than any other virtue. In theory this all sounds really great and noble, but occasionally it can be perceived as naive and soft.
But I don't love out of naivety. I love out of choice. I see the deceit and wickedness of the world and choose to love anyway. I know that most people don't prize integrity as much as I do, and everyone has different perceptions of what's acceptable behavior. We've all been raised in different realities, and have different belief systems of how to live our lives. And in the face of all of those facts, loving everyone unconditionally and without cause leaves you looking like an easy target, or a necessity for coddling. Therefore, I believe that while love is given freely, trust should be given sparingly.
Because of the status of the world and how much I've been burned in the past, I trust very conditionally. Based mostly on intuition and continuous honesty: if you can tell me I should probably not wear that dress, and that you hate it when I whistle, your trust factor goes up. BS makes my top 5 pet peeve list. Honesty shows respect.
I am 25, I have life experience and have seen and been through situations that have shaped me into, what I would consider, a relatively rational, mature adult. I see reality for what it is, I simply choose not to sink to its level. I choose to tow the line of realism and optimism; being thick-skinned and soft-hearted; and loving without restraint in a world of filth and sorrow despite the consequences.
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ReplyDeleteA: I don't believe that your title accurately describes your brief tangent or could you please further elaborate on how "Don't Mess" applies? Unless you really just didn't want someone messing with you, in which case for a guy - don't mess is a great big sign that says, "please poke and prod HERE."
B: Was there really a concise point or just fun rambling about furthering recent self discovery?
C: Do you feel better using your last paragraph to justify your decisions? Why do you need to justify anything to me about your decisions? Hmmm, that could be a perception issue... just explaining? How about can you please reword last paragraph to better support your title of "Don't Mess" as there should be some demonstration of a loving, feeling person sharing those attributes while supporting your means of "Don't Mess"!
PS - I messed, and....? :)
Fabulous insight! We sound a lot a like!! um...if you read my blog, it's not nearly at deep as yours. haha
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