I have a Christmas list that you may or may not be able to accommodate
but I have to ask.
First, I want people to lighten up.
Can you make that happen? Is it
possible for you to take the vitriol out of people? Prozac might help but I don't know if you have access to that much of it. If you know people and your name can get you through some doors I say go for it. Just be careful. The last thing we need is to have you in the pokey for attempting to procure it illegally.
Back on point, I don’t mind people voicing their
opinions or pictures about politics or religion (or any hot-button topic) through social media, I just
hate when it’s done in a way that makes me feel like my central nature is being
attacked. Try to take the aggrandizement out of it. I want people to be
passionate about what makes them…well, them, but I don’t want that passion to
turn so intense that it burns away friendships. If I’m guilty of this, give me a gentle reminder. Occasionally I like to share views but I don’t want people to think I have a severely misplaced sense of superiority. I don’t consider myself superior to anybody. If anything, I probably tend to self-deprecate more than I should.
While people definitely need to lighten up,
they also need a thicker skin for those occasions where they may feel they are
being singled out when they aren’t. Help
people to realize that not everything that goes against their personal grain is
a direct assault on them. We all have
different opinions, and while opposition makes life much richer it can escalate
if not kept in check. I think heavy drama should be reserved for stage and screen so I try to avoid it whenever possible. Maybe that's just me but whatevs. Having said that, I'd like to put in my own order for a thicker skin.
Bring some lost friendships back together if either of the first two wishes
aren’t feasible. That will probably
require the softening of hearts but a thick skin and a soft heart CAN
co-exist. Those that don’t take offense
easily sometimes make the best squishy-hearts.
At the risk of sounding selfish, give something nice to my friends and
loved ones who are suffering, whether it be from divorce, unemployment, hard
feelings, hot-headedness, lack of patience, inability to forgive and any other
malady that comes from going through anything more difficult than I’m
personally capable of facing. My stress
tolerance is pretty low so I consider myself a bit of a wimp.
Oh…. and a new iPod.
-LG
