Bipolar Journalling:
30th August Dream draft / How not to write a formal report / Left Out / Random Spambling / Everything dies / WTF / RIP Dan and Mitzi. I loved ya.http://drmcninja.com... / I am a D&D Geek. / Right to feel / A slightly less closed letter to TPL /
:: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 ::
Good and faithful servant
I have yet to meet anyone who thinks that they do not need affirmation, so anyone who tells you that they don't like attention is a liar. A modest liar, but nonetheless, a liar. Each and everyone of us secretly craves that pat on the head that says "Good job". What further complicates the matter is that we only feel validated in our talent if it is someone we respect giving the compliment.
That does lead to some very interesting connotations when one does not accept the accolade. False modesty aside, someone who ... genuinely rejects a compliment shows that they do not think much of the compliment giver's ability to assess talent. When you say "No, no, that's not true, I'm not all that talented", you're implicitly saying "No, no, you don't know anything about what real talent is."
Which may be true, actually. After all, skill varies, and what may be 易如反掌 (don't question why I had to use a Chinese idiom or how awkward it is; just go with it because I'm tired) to one person might be absolutely amazing to another. Still, I think that if you DO care about the person who's paying you a compliment, you should accept it graciously. False modesty just makes for an awkward cycle of praise and denial and it's not as if the praiser ever gives in. I mean, imagine this:
"It's amazing how you did that!"
"No, no, it was nothing, really."
"Oh. Okay. If you say so. I take it back then."
I like cutting to the chase. Unfortunately, it does make me come off as arrogant when I quickly agree with their assessment (hmm, have I mentioned how quickly I give in when people offer to treat me?) or worse, devalue their compliment with "Mmm, yeah, I know right?"
Eh, whatev. I was going to talk about how someone who is alone dies the death of unrecognized ability and how it's sad and dark and angsty, but I'm not even sure what I'm yattering on about now even. I need me some sleep.Labels: Random
:: And that's all she wrote 12:26 AM [+] ::
2 comments
2 Comments:
typical asian culture perhaps.
btw, well done.
Nah, it happens among 'westerners' as well. Trust me on this.
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