just my opinion

  We all know that famous phrase, you can please some of the people some of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time. A man named John Lydgate wrote that and he died in 1451. It's a testament to, things don't change all that much. There will always be haters. We all take turns fulfilling that role every now and again. We are not always happy campers. Yes, there are times when we just aren't pleased at all. It seems like the twenty-first century is going to be that way, at least in America it is. 

  I was thinking about that as I listened to the evening news. More specifically I was thinking about that when the reporters were asking their questions. The majority of the questions being asked were rhetorical. It is a method to display your displeasure with whatever you are asking about. Many of the questions remind me of when I was a child and would simply ask, why. But why? Drove my parents and siblings nuts with that. The usual answer was, because I said so, that's why. No one was pleased.

  I write and post this blog nearly every morning. It has become a part of my daily routine. Lately, according to Google analytics, I am enjoying at least a modicum of popularity. I admit I'm amused by that and surprised. As I said yesterday, I consider myself a skeptical person, that's just my nature. I have read what a blog is supposed to be, and it isn't what I'm doing. A blog is supposed to be centered on a specific topic or a hobby, some area of expertise. Thing is I don't consider myself an expert on anything other than myself. Even then I tend to alter the facts a bit, get a little creative with the story if you know what I mean. But I am the only one that knows the whole truth. I do choose what to share and what I choose not to share. According to Google analytics I must be pleasing some of the people some of the time. I've had times in the past when I didn't please anyone. I'm aware I'm not going to please anyone all the time. I know, even my wife isn't always happy with me, go figure. I'm a fascinating figure.

  How often does someone have to please you for you to remain speaking? What I mean is, before you block someone. That's what we do in the 21st century you know, we simply block those that we don't like or agree with. Sometimes we even "ghost" them. That's always been what I did, although I didn't call it ghosting, I called it ignoring. If I don't want to interact with you for any reason, I just didn't acknowledge your presence. That's what I usually do, but I have found some satisfaction in blocking some on social media. I'm adaptable, I'm a survivor. I read somewhere that we make friends with those that see the same truth as ourselves. That seems right to me. C.S. Lewis said that friendship is exclusive by definition. He did point out that it can be a dangerous thing as well as it can lead to excluding all others. Another way of saying into every life a little rain must fall. Every friend should tick you off every now and again. If they do not, they probably aren't being honest. 

  Just how honest should we be? Brutally honest isn't usually thought of as a good thing. Brutal honesty can hurt the one you are attempting to help. That is the reason you are telling the person that, right. Sometimes we use honesty as a weapon as well. Yeah, the truth hurts more than a lie but only if you share the same truth. Thing is, the only truth you can share honestly is your own. That's where those little white lies come into play. Heck, we even tell them to ourselves. Constructive criticism is another way of expressing brutal honesty. Others will support your position by saying that to the one injured, he is just giving you constructive criticism. Doesn't feel that way when it happens to you though. It could lead you to become "unfriended." 

  I looked that up and found that Thomas Fuller, an English clergyman, first wrote that down in his book The Appeal of Injured Innocence in 1659. In a letter to a friend of his he expressed his concern that they would become unfriended over a disagreement they had. He was talking about becoming an enemy. Whatever he had said or whatever the other guy had said was fighting words! I haven't read what the disagreement was all about, but I suspect it was based on opinion. A great deal of what we say is opinion, just because we believe it doesn't make it a fact. That's something that has led to a great deal of "unfriending" in today's world. Today we are supposed to share a common opinion as well as accept the facts, although in many cases the two aren't interchangeable. Yes, it is a binary world. Anything in between is just an opinion, a fabrication of man. 

  Well, all of this is simply my opinion. I give my opinions freely and without expectation of reward. It is one of the only things I have to give. That's true with all of us if you really think about it. I don't call many my friend, never have. I do enjoy the company of most people however, but as C.S.Lewis pointed out, friendship is necessarily exclusive. The reason for that is a simple one. If you are honest, share your opinions freely, there will those that are offended by that. They are the ones that will block you, ghost you, or just plain ignore you. In short, they aren't your friends. There are others that can still enjoy your company without adopting your opinions and views as their own. They aren't exactly your friends, but they aren't your enemies either. There are few that can take the whole monte. That's why you only have a few friends. Again, just my opinion.