How sure are you?
How sure of anything are you?
Look -- having opinions is critical -- no one likes a waffling whinge.
Having a POV at least gives you a place to begin a discussion and makes conversation interesting.
And driving a stake in the ground to anchor an argument can help keep you grounded and others focused.
But again -- how sure are you?
Will you fall on your sword for your argued position? Before you do, you might want to read this.
Do you adhere to a code? If you think you do, check this out.
Will you "kill" to make your point? Hmm -- might want to see this.
Bottom line: How sure are you???
Maybe it's the difference between opinion and opinionated, between positions and policies, between thinking and knowing.
Seems to me -- that sometimes we get so caught up in our own viewpoints that we not only miss the forest for the trees -- we miss the trees as well -- and if we miss the trees, we are down to the moss and rocks and I'm ready to bet that isn't where we meant to go.
Despite all the technology, despite all the communication, despite 24/7 connectivity, shared values, globality, Gangnam and whatever else is trending at this moment -- it doesn't seem like anyone is really listening.
In the famously turbulent '60s in the U.S., there was a famous saying based on a Carl Sandburg line that went like this (it had many iterations):
Sadly, that never happened -- but here is the flip side -- we get caught in our own rhetoric and imagine that others really do agree with us. More so -- we imagine that they don't just agree --they really and truly support us -- would fall on their swords for us.
Have you ever walked out of a meeting sure that it was great, only to discover that it wasn't? Have you ever had a discussion where you're sure you had consensus, only to discover you didn't? Have you ever been in a relationship sure that it was solid, only to get dumped?
We all have -- at one time or another -- experienced one or more... and other similar situations as well.
Which led me to this -- listen:
"My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people." Orson Welles
Truth is, Orson was no doubt talking about his weight -- but maybe that is the point -- we get fat on the dinners we make for guests who don't come -- and we sometimes seem oblivious to the empty seats.
So if you ever get the feeling that you are talking to yourself, check to make sure you have company. On the other hand, learn from General Petraeus -- make sure you invite the right people....
What do you think?