I don't find that at all. If anything I'm more aware of what others think of me and more concerned that someone might have a negative opinion of me.
I think I was probably more indifferent to other people's view of me when I was a child. Children are notoriously oblivious to how people see them and casually blurt out anything that comes to mind. I'm sure I was just like that, causing offence and shock and disbelief everywhere I went.
Of course that's partly because children don't have much of a stake in their surroundings. They're not home owners worrying how the neighbours see them, or employees worrying how the boss sees them. They just do their thing in a state of blissful self-indulgence.
No, as I grow older I consider other people's reactions to what I say or do all the time. I certainly don't go blundering along upsetting everybody. Children may have the excuse of a tender age but an adult of 77 has no excuse whatever.
I watch all the politicians saying anything that occurs to them, however offensive or contemptuous or untrue and I wonder how they can bring themselves to be so recklessly outspoken. If only they could think before they speak, people might have a bit more respect for them.
As a child I was made aware of what was 'acceptable'....and I suppose that has stayed with me down the years, not rocking the social boat.
ReplyDeleteHelen: Yes, not rocking the social boat, that's the general principle.
DeleteI have a tendency to be direct. I live in a state known for its passive/aggressiveness. So...I reconciled myself to the fact that there generally is no middle ground, people like me or they don't. I don't go out of my way to offend people. I'm direct, not rude. The politicians of today in the US, some in particular, have no notion of decorum.
ReplyDeleteSandra: I find the same, people either like me or they don't. I'm an acquired taste! I prefer people who're direct and not mealy-mouthed.
DeleteI believe as I have gotten older I just don't let people get to me. I simply avoid unpleasant people. They just are not worth it. I really don't care what people think of me but I always show common courtesy & act polite regardless of their behavior Just because I don't agree with them doesn't give me the right to be unpleasant or rude. Manners & courtesy go a long way with most folks.
ReplyDeletePaula: That's more or less my own attitude. No point in engaging with rancorous individuals, but I'm always polite to them. Indeed, manners and courtesy are always welcome.
DeleteLiving in a building with a hundred residents who mingle for breakfast and supper, I am appalled at the number who have no consideration for the personal space or comfort of others.
ReplyDeleteJoanne: People can be amazingly self-centred if they're given the chance.
DeleteNick, by their vulnerable nature children have a huge stake in their surroundings and will do anything in their power to alter their surroundings to ensure their safety and survival.
ReplyDeleteAnybody who is upset by a child has not themselves become adult and any adult who is becoming more concerned about how others see them is an adult who has not healed from their childhood.
Kylie: I certainly haven't totally healed from my childhood, which was thoroughly dysfunctional in all sorts of ways. However I soldier on!
DeleteNot sure how children can alter their surroundings to ensure their safety. Surely they're very much at the mercy of their parents and what their parents allow them to change.
I'm with Paula. The older I get, the more I just avoid unpleasant people. And that includes keyboard warriors. Ignoring those types is best.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: I totally ignore the keyboard warriors. Most of them are just spoiling for a fight, and I don't take the bait.
DeleteNick, I never cared what people think abou me . Why should I ? If I had , I would have never married the love of my life. Maybe for you it's difficult to imagine what it meant when a Jewish girl married a Palestinian surgeon. Israel today doesn't still allow those unions. I know who I am, what I did in my life and still doing today and those who do.not appreciate me are free to change the sideway when seeing me.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and Jenny a fulfilled and Happy New Year 2025.
Hannah
Hannah: I understand very well what it meant when you married Saïd, it must have attracted so many critical comments. And Israel still doesn't approve of such relationships.
DeleteI hope you also have a happy 2025 (despite all the world's horrors).
Change the sideway?
Nick, I mean the sidewalk. We say trottoir in German like in French.
ReplyDeleteYes let us hope that we go ahead for a better world. Thanks for your wishes.
Hannah
Hannah: I see another German word for sidewalk - der Gehweg.
DeleteNick, that's of course correct, but as Berlin has been very early a place for the Huguenots who fled from France, there are a multitude of words related to the French language.
DeleteHannah
Hannah: An interesting bit of history. Of course a lot of Huguenots also came to Ireland.
Delete