Some of us are lucky enough to born with the gift of the gab. Some of us learn it as we grow up. And unfortunately, some of us never acquire the skill of knowing what to say when. And these guys? They're usually in the majority.
When speaking to others, there are things that you can say and things that you can't. For example, you never ask a girl that's been recently jilted at the altar about her love life. Then why can't some people keep a zip on their mouths?
Our mouths are like DVD players. Sometimes you have to pause; sometimes you have to rewind; and sometimes you change the track. And like all DVD players, ours' need servicing as well. Some don't stop. Some don't start. Some stop abruptly between dialogue and some actually do the opposite of what you want them to.
All of us have made a faux pas more than once. We're only human. However, there are those of us who make such errors everyday, not realising the effect it has on the person we're saying it to. I wonder why they don't teach us etiquette at school. Is it something that we're expected to be naturally endowed with? Because most of us aren't. We can say the worst things at the worst times and not even realise it. There are different ways of talking to people. Politely, confrontationally, warmly, coldly, aggressively and of course passive aggressively. Passive aggression is something all of us have experienced and we've probably used it on others without thinking. The thing about passive aggression is you really don't know how to respond without sounding like you're blowing things out of proportion. Passive aggression is ugly. It can be snide, laced with malice; its a thinly veiled insult. And it usually pops up out of nowhere. It fascinates me. What could possibly prompt someone to say something like that? What are our deepest thoughts? Why are we all capable of such darkness? Passive aggression is just our way of letting out something that we've been steaming over. Its a subconscious reaction. Always at the back of our head. Like a little imp, making mischief and is never found at the scene of the crime.
There are always things to be said. There is always a time for them. There also things that needn't be said-they may not be true, or they may be completely apparent. And the trick is to know when to say what and what not to say at all. Not an easy trick, I suppose.
When speaking to others, there are things that you can say and things that you can't. For example, you never ask a girl that's been recently jilted at the altar about her love life. Then why can't some people keep a zip on their mouths?
Our mouths are like DVD players. Sometimes you have to pause; sometimes you have to rewind; and sometimes you change the track. And like all DVD players, ours' need servicing as well. Some don't stop. Some don't start. Some stop abruptly between dialogue and some actually do the opposite of what you want them to.
All of us have made a faux pas more than once. We're only human. However, there are those of us who make such errors everyday, not realising the effect it has on the person we're saying it to. I wonder why they don't teach us etiquette at school. Is it something that we're expected to be naturally endowed with? Because most of us aren't. We can say the worst things at the worst times and not even realise it. There are different ways of talking to people. Politely, confrontationally, warmly, coldly, aggressively and of course passive aggressively. Passive aggression is something all of us have experienced and we've probably used it on others without thinking. The thing about passive aggression is you really don't know how to respond without sounding like you're blowing things out of proportion. Passive aggression is ugly. It can be snide, laced with malice; its a thinly veiled insult. And it usually pops up out of nowhere. It fascinates me. What could possibly prompt someone to say something like that? What are our deepest thoughts? Why are we all capable of such darkness? Passive aggression is just our way of letting out something that we've been steaming over. Its a subconscious reaction. Always at the back of our head. Like a little imp, making mischief and is never found at the scene of the crime.
There are always things to be said. There is always a time for them. There also things that needn't be said-they may not be true, or they may be completely apparent. And the trick is to know when to say what and what not to say at all. Not an easy trick, I suppose.
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