The other day, I noticed
a certain insincerity about myself. I
bumped into someone I have not seen for a while and said this: “How are things
going for you?”
I know that this is a
common if not perfunctory greeting. But
in this case—and such is often the case—I found myself uninterested as the
person I had chanced to see verbally listed the various items about their present
life they felt defined how things are
going.
I didn’t really listen.
Instead, my mind wandered
off to a corner and leaned against the wall picking at peeling paint chips.
Once my acquaintance
finished speaking, I tossed out a couple of meaningless details about my life at present,
not acknowledging anything he had said.
Only after we parted did
I question my own behavior.
What kind of behavior is
this? Would it hurt me to really
listen? Am I too busy for authenticity? Did my acquaintance notice my disingenuousness? What might I have gained from a sincere
exchange?
I suppose the only way to
answer my questions is to try a little sincerity at the next opportunity.
--Mitchell
Hegman
I can totally relate to your story as I tend to do the same thing. I would especially tune out those who mostly like to brag and repeatedly, like a broken record. But like you I eventually get conscienticized by my behavior. So I try harder not to tune people out. Sometimes I'm able to do it but there have been times when disgust would triumph over determination. I'm just human but I do try to be more loving and patient. What can I say, I'm both my own best friend and my own worst enemy.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Ariel. I suspect most of us share common behavior in this regard. But I have gotten worse about it. I am going to try to do better in the future.
ReplyDelete