Quote:
Originally Posted by Squinky
1. What does teen spirit smell like?
2. Is there a work of fiction you like that has a significantly girly fan base?
3. Have you ever worn a costume on any occasion other than Halloween?
|
1. Exhilarated fear and sexual tension.
2. I read and liked the Hello God, It's Me, Margaret book. Does that count?
3. Thinking about it, I would have to say not really, though I sort of planned to during my earliest days as a wannabe rock star. My stage name was Philo the Clown.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoriartyL
- Is it possible for a person to force himself to be happy with something?
- I've got some relatives coming soon who I can't stand. Every time I talk to them, it turns into an argument. We can't see eye-to-eye on any subject. Do you think I should try to avoid them, or should I just go with the arguments?
- Name some piece of art or entertainment which you encountered lately but which left almost zero impression on you.
|
1. Not precisely force, but you can change your mind about your situation and find it less irritating than you did. Being irritated and annoyed is sort of a conditioned response, but it's also a choice we make. You can either get peeved, or you can brush it off and find something to enjoy about your situation. And yes, I know it sounds easier than it is. I didn't say it didn't require some mental work. But the work requires that you do something very important and life-affirming: you have to admit that you don't know everything, and that other people may be right as well.
2. You might try not being so insistent that they are wrong. You don't have to challenge them on their every assumption. they may be wrong, but you don't have to prove you're right every time you see them. Antagonism is born of feeling challenged. Feeling challenged is a response we develop based on our perception of other people's opinion of us. If we can just let go of the need to be seen as superior to those around us, we can brush off the perceived challenges to assert ourselves and learn to appreciate those around us for who they are, rather than who they (or we) aren't.
That sounds so preachy. I apologize. What i mean is, cut them some slack. Family is something that intelligent, sensitive people generally have trouble dealing with, because you get so many personality types, all making the assumption that they have to impress each other with how capable and knowledgeable they are. I don't know why this happens. Maybe it's a hierarchical pecking order thing.
Too few families are truly comfortable around one another, because we're all sort of forced to associate with each other whether we want to or not. It's an affront to have to compete with all of these strangers who claim some right to you simply because they have common ancestry. Some families and personality types within those family units just get along great as a matter of course, but larger families always seem to have their ugly ducklings and black sheep.
Anyway, my advice to you is: lighten up. You can't change them, and you can't get rid of them, so you might as well learn to love them, warts and all.
3. Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People was sort of alright, but I lost interest pretty quickly.
____________________
1) Do you prefer photographic images to handmade art images?
2) Do you prefer abstracted or impressionistic art images to realistic ones?
3) Do you prefer serious drawing styles to cartoonish ones?
And yeah, those questions are fairly similar, though I perceive some subtle differences between them. If the seeming repetition bores you, go back and answer some of Mory's or Trum's questions.
