To Be Or Not To Be…

    Ever since as far back as I could remember I’ve had a big mouth.  Yes, I said it, a big one.  Not the kind of big mouth that tells everyone all of your secrets.  That’s reserved for other definitions of big mouths.  My problem, or blessing depending on which way you look at it, has always been that I always say exactly how I feel out loud.

    I realize that some of you might not see this as an issue at all because you like to surround yourself with “straight-shooters’ like myself.  Believe me when I tell you, though, that opening my mouth and saying how I felt has gotten me into my share of problems over the years.  Sometimes people don’t want to hear what you have to say and they just want you to listen.  I get that…

    What I have never understood is society’s level of hypocrisy.  It’s almost as if most people would prefer to wander through life being phony to one another.  I can’t tell you how many times I have stood in awe as supposed friends and family members have spoken negatively about each other behind each other’s backs only to smile in their face later.

    I’m no angel, so don’t canonize me just yet.  However, one of the things that I have prided myself with over the years is my sincerity.  Sure, I’ve said things but they were either things I already said to the person’s face or will be saying to the person’s face shortly.  Unfortunately, there seems to be no place in this society for the truth.

    People are perfectly content with walking through life oblivious to the real feelings of others and out of touch with even their own true feelings.  As I’m getting older, I am lacking the energy to deal with the drama that arises out of speaking the truth and I’m becoming more inclined to fall in with the other sheeps.

    The problem is that by falling in with how everyone else is, I am failing to be true to myself.  It should be perfectly fine for me to voice my disapproval of something and to be able to discuss it in an adult way.  Additionally, my feelings are relevant and matter just as much as everyone else’s.

    So the question has become, should I continue to be ME or should I conform to the status quo?  Has the time come for me to shut my big mouth and tell people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear?  I’m pretty sure that I will continue being who I am because it has gotten me through the last 35 years and some hairy situations.  The latter question, I’m not so sure of…

    I’ve come to the conclusion that, although I should continue being true to who I am, I need to use more discretion with regards to whom I voice my thoughts.  I suppose some people are content floating through life believing the nonsense that spews forth from their lips and nothing I say is ever going to change them.  Maybe the answer is to keep my big mouth and rid myself of these kind of people in my life.

    Let’s discuss.  What kind of a person do you tend to be, an outspoken, passive, or passive-aggressive one?  How has your personality impacted the kinds of interpersonal relationships that you have with others?

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