I mean, sure. My family, I care what they think. Most of 'em! They're a pretty shrewd bunch. I'd be a fool not to give their varied and conflicting views on any issue a goodly amount of consideration.
My ex-girlfriends? Absolutely. I care what each of them thinks of me. Some more than others, naturally! Note: I don't mean that I spend much thought on what one or the other ex-girlfriend might or mightn't think of me, at this juncture. That's more her problem. But I just mean: if I were directly confronted by the fact of what one of them thinks. Then I'd care! I'd care because I know the person, and I've grown respect her opinion. I spent years with each of these people! So if today I ran into an ex-girlfriend, and she gushed effusively for ten minutes over what a great guy I am and what a fool she was to etc. etc., well, I'd give her my ear and listen! And I'd nod, probably. And in my mind, in the very crux of my critical assessor-plex node mode nodule, I'd give that opinion all the weight it's due. I'd care what she thinks. Some more than others, as I said: naturally. I'd take her opinion, and I'd weigh it for what it's worth, within my existing opinion of how much her opinion is worth. And yeah, hearing those things, it might even make me revise that estimation just a bit. JUST A BIT!
I'm pretty tough to sway on that stuff, overall. One thing somebody might say can't easily outweigh the whole picture of what you've known!
And what about my darling, my baby? The one who I love and in whose love I live, as we lay out our lives together and plan our extended campaigns together? Well, to some extent, I do have to take into account what she's got to say. Her opinion is always so awesome, anyhow! There's really not much she says where I don't either shout inside with inner agreement, or else we'll digress and discurse and take it apart and put it back together for hours because the places we find to disagree are so fascinating to us both. I definitely care what she thinks! She's my Sweet Baboo.
But other people? Oh wait, I guess my various buddies and such. Sure. I care what my pool buddies think, or my chess buddy, or my cards buddies. I also care what my mud sculpture buddies and my drum circle buddies think, although - less than you'd think. There's not a lot of talking going on, those activities. I care, I suppose, what my work buddies think - most of them. Or my hiking buddies, or my football-watching buddies, or my jazz vespers chorale buddies, or my San Jose Shark arena-trip buddies, or my art museum excursion group buddies, or my buddies from any other activity where I may not technically engage in that activity, but it sounds fun to say with the word "buddies" attached: my drug recovery outreach buddies. My bible study buddies. My inner contemplation meditation group buddies.
I have to step aside here for a second: no I don't do mud sculpture, and neither do any of my buddies. In case it wasn't clear, some of those "buddies" were included purely for example. Those are the kind of buddies you can't trust. Because those buddies don't exist, and therefore I'd say I'm 100% right not to trust them! - or regard their opinion in the slightest!
Then there are people you meet on the internet. DON'T BE TOO DOWN ON THOSE PEOPLE, PEOPLE! One of them is always going to turn out to be a psychotic jerk. It just works out that way, so they tell me. Expect it - DEAL WITH IT. But don't tar the whole batch with that same brush! Most of those others value your opinion, or at least respect what you have to say (and are conditionally prepared to value it). And they have a lot to offer besides - stuff to share, thoughts, music, art, and even just viewpoint - a decent human viewpoint. They're real people - mostly, the ones I've come in contact with, they're real good people.
Hi folks! How are ya?
So I guess what I'm asking is, why do I care about what the other people think? The people who aren't respectful, the people who are liars, the people who have proven beyond a doubt that their opinion is worth precisely shit? Why do I care about what these people think of me?
Actually, you know what? I don't!
But I mean, why would I? That's the question. Why would I?
My ex-girlfriends? Absolutely. I care what each of them thinks of me. Some more than others, naturally! Note: I don't mean that I spend much thought on what one or the other ex-girlfriend might or mightn't think of me, at this juncture. That's more her problem. But I just mean: if I were directly confronted by the fact of what one of them thinks. Then I'd care! I'd care because I know the person, and I've grown respect her opinion. I spent years with each of these people! So if today I ran into an ex-girlfriend, and she gushed effusively for ten minutes over what a great guy I am and what a fool she was to etc. etc., well, I'd give her my ear and listen! And I'd nod, probably. And in my mind, in the very crux of my critical assessor-plex node mode nodule, I'd give that opinion all the weight it's due. I'd care what she thinks. Some more than others, as I said: naturally. I'd take her opinion, and I'd weigh it for what it's worth, within my existing opinion of how much her opinion is worth. And yeah, hearing those things, it might even make me revise that estimation just a bit. JUST A BIT!
I'm pretty tough to sway on that stuff, overall. One thing somebody might say can't easily outweigh the whole picture of what you've known!
And what about my darling, my baby? The one who I love and in whose love I live, as we lay out our lives together and plan our extended campaigns together? Well, to some extent, I do have to take into account what she's got to say. Her opinion is always so awesome, anyhow! There's really not much she says where I don't either shout inside with inner agreement, or else we'll digress and discurse and take it apart and put it back together for hours because the places we find to disagree are so fascinating to us both. I definitely care what she thinks! She's my Sweet Baboo.
But other people? Oh wait, I guess my various buddies and such. Sure. I care what my pool buddies think, or my chess buddy, or my cards buddies. I also care what my mud sculpture buddies and my drum circle buddies think, although - less than you'd think. There's not a lot of talking going on, those activities. I care, I suppose, what my work buddies think - most of them. Or my hiking buddies, or my football-watching buddies, or my jazz vespers chorale buddies, or my San Jose Shark arena-trip buddies, or my art museum excursion group buddies, or my buddies from any other activity where I may not technically engage in that activity, but it sounds fun to say with the word "buddies" attached: my drug recovery outreach buddies. My bible study buddies. My inner contemplation meditation group buddies.
I have to step aside here for a second: no I don't do mud sculpture, and neither do any of my buddies. In case it wasn't clear, some of those "buddies" were included purely for example. Those are the kind of buddies you can't trust. Because those buddies don't exist, and therefore I'd say I'm 100% right not to trust them! - or regard their opinion in the slightest!
Then there are people you meet on the internet. DON'T BE TOO DOWN ON THOSE PEOPLE, PEOPLE! One of them is always going to turn out to be a psychotic jerk. It just works out that way, so they tell me. Expect it - DEAL WITH IT. But don't tar the whole batch with that same brush! Most of those others value your opinion, or at least respect what you have to say (and are conditionally prepared to value it). And they have a lot to offer besides - stuff to share, thoughts, music, art, and even just viewpoint - a decent human viewpoint. They're real people - mostly, the ones I've come in contact with, they're real good people.
Hi folks! How are ya?
So I guess what I'm asking is, why do I care about what the other people think? The people who aren't respectful, the people who are liars, the people who have proven beyond a doubt that their opinion is worth precisely shit? Why do I care about what these people think of me?
Actually, you know what? I don't!
But I mean, why would I? That's the question. Why would I?
Comments
This, however, is a post that is so expansive that it has to be dealt with in parts. I am going to defer my analysis until I get less blind drunk.
So I guess maybe the dude informal voice featured above is more me being spoof casual? But not as in making fun! More just as in, it matches up well to the whole sentiment being expressed.
But in writing, in my more professionalesque voice, or especially in my more hi-falutin' florid and expansive voice, I usually eschew the exclamation point as the tool of the weak and timid!!!!!!!!!!!! My highest critic says: "Forcefulness should be conveyed by forceful word choice, directness of phrasing, and precise punctuation. The exclamation mark is to be used sparingly, if at all. A splurge of exclamation marks can't add firmness of sinew to flabby prose!"
But, you know. That guy's a dick.
I'll only go in for whatever rigor and precision flits through my transom. If I have to go questing after it or nailing it down, well it can go free as the breeze and see how it does without me, for all I care.
Rigor and precision need us more than we don't need them.