I am way too sensitive, a condition of which I am well aware.
I am flawed in a hundred different ways. I am disorganized. I'm cranky. I don't do well without set, drop-dead due dates. I am goofy when I should sometimes be serious. My wardrobe is pretty pathetic. My eyebrows need to be done. My car might just be radioactive. I swear like a sailor.
You probably get the idea.
But I am never cruel.
I have the typical human knee-jerk reaction of being pissed off when, for example:
* Certain ex-husbands who shall remain nameless set up a special outing with the daughter they haven't seen in weeks, ask their ex-wives to spend an additional hour and a half in a car driving said daughter there, then don't show up or even answer the phone, text messages, or e-mails, forcing the ex-wife to try to explain to the sobbing daughter why exactly it's wrong to say that Daddy's a bad person. Oh, this is particularly egregious when the ex-husband involved owes the ex-wife in question $500. Just saying ...
* People drag me into drama that does not concern me. I do not get involved in drama. I hate drama. I went on the "Oh, let's make fun of people, isn't it a good time?" trip, the "Let's pick apart every little thing that person does because my friend doesn't like her" vacation for awhile last year, and you know what? It makes you feel like crap inside after awhile. I'm out of that, totally out of that. I made an active choice to remove myself from the set of Mean Girls, and getting pulled back into it when I didn't do a freaking thing is frustrating.
* When your ability to do your job effectively is called into question by fools who have no idea how to be an English teacher. I once had someone say to me, "All that kids in your class do is read, write, and have discussions." I was royally pissed off for about thirty seconds ... then I started laughing because, damn, they'd just paid me a hell of a compliment. But sometimes it's hard to suck up the crap people sling around. I have never once had my integrity as a teacher questioned by a person whose opinion meant anything to me. It's easy, though, to say, "Consider the source" and something else again to do it.
Which brings me back to the title of the post.
Let anyone who's never committed a sin throw stones at glass houses (how's that for combining ;-)?), and I guarantee you that ... well, it'd be quiet.
Look, we all suck on some level, in some verb tense. I used to suck, sucked, will strive to never again suck, but ...
Well, you get it, I'm sure.
Shut the heck up, get over yourself and your stupid childish mentality, and focus on you. Look in the mirror, think about what role you play in any of the drama you're so worked up about, and own what belongs to you.
I think you might be surprised, seriously.
If every person in the world could just stop and think about the ramifications of their own misbehavior, to presume positive intentions in others, and to keep their mouths shut if it doesn't involve saying something nice or adopting a "live and let live" policy, the world would be an infinitely better place.
Look, I know I'm living in a world of rainbows and dancing fairies and hobbits. Just because I make a concerted effort to treat others well or at least to give them common courtesy doesn't mean that others can or will or maybe even should.
But it also drudges up the cynical crystals still floating inside of myself, and the idea of those joining together and changing me because some people are rude, inconsiderate, bullying, lying, hypocritical ... "stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerfherder" ...
Just be good to each other ... it's not that freaking hard!
**Okay, rant over ... my apologies :-)**
I am flawed in a hundred different ways. I am disorganized. I'm cranky. I don't do well without set, drop-dead due dates. I am goofy when I should sometimes be serious. My wardrobe is pretty pathetic. My eyebrows need to be done. My car might just be radioactive. I swear like a sailor.
You probably get the idea.
But I am never cruel.
I have the typical human knee-jerk reaction of being pissed off when, for example:
* Certain ex-husbands who shall remain nameless set up a special outing with the daughter they haven't seen in weeks, ask their ex-wives to spend an additional hour and a half in a car driving said daughter there, then don't show up or even answer the phone, text messages, or e-mails, forcing the ex-wife to try to explain to the sobbing daughter why exactly it's wrong to say that Daddy's a bad person. Oh, this is particularly egregious when the ex-husband involved owes the ex-wife in question $500. Just saying ...
* People drag me into drama that does not concern me. I do not get involved in drama. I hate drama. I went on the "Oh, let's make fun of people, isn't it a good time?" trip, the "Let's pick apart every little thing that person does because my friend doesn't like her" vacation for awhile last year, and you know what? It makes you feel like crap inside after awhile. I'm out of that, totally out of that. I made an active choice to remove myself from the set of Mean Girls, and getting pulled back into it when I didn't do a freaking thing is frustrating.
* When your ability to do your job effectively is called into question by fools who have no idea how to be an English teacher. I once had someone say to me, "All that kids in your class do is read, write, and have discussions." I was royally pissed off for about thirty seconds ... then I started laughing because, damn, they'd just paid me a hell of a compliment. But sometimes it's hard to suck up the crap people sling around. I have never once had my integrity as a teacher questioned by a person whose opinion meant anything to me. It's easy, though, to say, "Consider the source" and something else again to do it.
Which brings me back to the title of the post.
Let anyone who's never committed a sin throw stones at glass houses (how's that for combining ;-)?), and I guarantee you that ... well, it'd be quiet.
Look, we all suck on some level, in some verb tense. I used to suck, sucked, will strive to never again suck, but ...
Well, you get it, I'm sure.
Shut the heck up, get over yourself and your stupid childish mentality, and focus on you. Look in the mirror, think about what role you play in any of the drama you're so worked up about, and own what belongs to you.
I think you might be surprised, seriously.
If every person in the world could just stop and think about the ramifications of their own misbehavior, to presume positive intentions in others, and to keep their mouths shut if it doesn't involve saying something nice or adopting a "live and let live" policy, the world would be an infinitely better place.
Look, I know I'm living in a world of rainbows and dancing fairies and hobbits. Just because I make a concerted effort to treat others well or at least to give them common courtesy doesn't mean that others can or will or maybe even should.
But it also drudges up the cynical crystals still floating inside of myself, and the idea of those joining together and changing me because some people are rude, inconsiderate, bullying, lying, hypocritical ... "stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerfherder" ...
Just be good to each other ... it's not that freaking hard!
**Okay, rant over ... my apologies :-)**
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No need to apologize; your feelings are very appropriate. That ex husband (ex father) needs a swift kick--What a jerk.
ReplyDeleteI found a great little "poster" on G+ that reads:
Great people talk about ideas.
Average people talk about things.
Small people talk about other people.
I'm guilty of being small at times. I'm working at being great.
Love the above sentiment. It should be posted by every water cooler and teacher's lounge. Sounds like you've had a rough week. Sad dad day for your daughter. As a sunny-side up person I never understand why people just can't be nice to each other...? It is one of life's great mysteries.
ReplyDeleteBeing good to others is something I see most days from most people. It's not a raibow land, it should be more common and it isn't difficult.
ReplyDeletePart of the problem is people are raised to see other people and institutions as targets. 'Stealing from shops is a victimless crime', 'It's a dog eat dog world', 'It's only cheating if you get caught' and son.
You are the example to follow, not the oddball.
The golden rule should always apply. Anyone who says it doesn't is making excuses or was taught the wrong way themselves. You can't (as easily) control how upset you get, but you can control how much you lash out at others as a result. You seem to have.
ReplyDeleteIf every person on this planet could leave it emotionally and physically better than when they arrived, though, that would be rainbow-land. Still ... it's good to have goals.