Thoughts.com Blogs - Just me really!

Robert Burns, or 'Rabbie burns', the Scottish national bard of the 1700's said many wise things which people still quote to this day. One of these was: "Oh whit wad the giftie gie us tae see oorsel's as ithers see us!?" (Oh what would it benefit us to see ourselves as other people see us!?)

So many people place so much importance and worry so much about how other people see them. They fret and worry about how they will be seen and judged by others. They want to make the best impression of course and be seen as a 'good' person. Nobody wants to be judged a bad person and some folks worry so much that other people wont like them. Not me!

For years, I have been of the opinion that 'this is me, take it or leave it'. Im not here to win friends and influence people and if I do, it's by accident rather than design. Its not that I dont care about other people, I do. I just dont care much about what they think of me. I'm not, and never will be someone who subscribes to the whole 'Politically correct" thing - I'd much sooner call a spade a spade. I would take that futher and say that its time to get back to plain speech in english rather than almost needing an interpreter to hold a conversation.

I am honest and tactless to a fault sometimes, I know and admit that. I don't see it as a weakness or a failing though. I just see it as 'being me'. Thats how I am, like it or not. I'm not deliberatley offensive to anyone, but I just don't pause to think and worry about whether what Im about to say or write might potentially offend someone somewhere. If I say or post something that offends then I'll deal with the backlash and the fallout as it comes.

I have been known to bring silence to a room on a couple of occasions but not because I have said something offensive, deliberately or otherwise. It's because, at times, I do like to say things that are 'out there' and unexpected, but its always designed to inject a little humour to the proceedings. For example, I once attended one of those 'dry' boring study day meetings where we were all supposed to be discussing the introduction of new training into nursing.

If you've ever been to these things you'll know how bad they can be, as the majority of people try to show how 'clever' they are and how much they have studied for the topic. Usually these meetings start off with an 'ice-breaker', where they go round everyone and your supposed to introduce yourself to the group. Came to my turn, I stood up and said, "Hi, Im Jim and Im an alco.....oops, wrong meeting. ha ha" - A Lead Balloon would definitely have got more laughter and thus, the tone of the day was set, with me keeping a lower profile after that.

I do have a certain 'sense of humor' that not everyone gets all the time or at frst. It has been described at various times as Unique, warped and even Sick. Does this make me moderate my behaviour or think twice and change depending on the company I am in? Only to a very small extent, I would say. I think people are largely too anal and ned to lighten up and laugh more, or maybe that's just me, but I am who I am and it hasn't caused me (too) many problems over the last thirty odd years or so.

I wish more people could feel comfortable enough to just be who they are and not who they think everyone else wants them to be. When you think of it, it's amazing the amount of people who actually DO live their lives for someone else, or to someone else's standards and expectations. If they could opnly see, as I have, that being yourself means that those who do genuinely like you and are true friends WILL still be there. Those who aren't, wont and that's no loss to you really.

In reply to 'Rabbie's' question at the start of the blog - "Oh whit wad the giftie gie us tae see oorsel's as ithers see us!?" (Oh what would it benefit us to see ourselves as other people see us!?) - I would have to reply.... Nothing much, other than a laugh or two!