About Being a Proper Jackass

Post 348:

            Lord knows I’ve developed a proclivity to run my mouth. It’s sort of like a leaf blower, blustery and hard on the ears. Usually there’s nothing left but scattered fragments once I get my mind on something.

            I’m working on that.

            I was reading something this morning that made me think from a slightly different angle on the subject of arguing and disagreement. It was a guy with a new opinion, something that goes against the grain of conventional wisdom. You know this sentence in one form or another: “Contrary to popular belief”… “New evidence has come to light that says”… “Despite years of entrenched doctrinal thinking…”

            Those kind of deals.

            It occurred to me that the only reason I’m reading this dude is because he’s coming up with some new thing that spits in the face of his predecessors. If his bit was, “Yeah, everything pretty much looks in order,” I don’t think he’d be making it rain.

            So there’s a ton of incentive to disagree. Never really thought about it, but there it is.

            Same can be said in the real world. While you may come off as an asshole, you’ll be remembered. Going against the grain leaves an impression, is what I’m saying.

            This is something I’ve got to think about more in depth. Up to now I’ve been talking strategy; now it’s time to examine what’s right.

            Right and wrong. What a bummer.

            I’ve got a thought. Courage solves the problem on both fronts. It takes courage to admit you’ve really got nothing to add, that your big idea is just the same old thing and you’ll be doing nothing but regurgitating other people’s shiz. I say it takes courage because admitting who you are in the moment can really suck.

            On the other side, we’ve got to step up when it’s time. That takes conviction, especially if it’s coming from the right place—a place where the goal isn’t to be noticed, but to be honest and right.

            Whew. That was a strong dose from the old Institute For Moralizing Windbags right there ladies and gents. Send me an email at tyler@tylerhaswords.com if you want to argue, but let’s be honest. That’s just tacky.

            Cheers. See you after.