Did You Ever Wonder...

So...
Did you ever wonder...
It seems like such an innocuous question, but is it really?

Did you ever wonder what makes a good person "good?" or a bad person "bad?" And sometimes - this could even be the same person viewed from several different sets of eyes...or even the same person in dissimilar situations or circumstances.

So...
maybe the criteria in which we view others is really the suspect element. Do we judge them (or assess them, for those of you who are not the "judgemental' types...) by a standard in which we, ourselves, do not, or can not reach? Or is our "assessment" fair as compared to our constituants and peers? Good questions, I think.

So...
Why would I ask? Because as of lately it seems like I have been placed in a position or situation(s) where I have been forced to address several individuals from the above perspective...and I have certainly found that it isn't an easy task. It would be very simple to completely "write them off" but I also had to address the criteria in which I would, or would not, take that stance.

I can honestly say that these are tough customers - as viewed by me, as well as many others...tough customers, indeed. I have made an honest attempt at trying to find something positive in each of these individuals - and I am seriously 1 for 4...and that sucks!! I really want to believe there is at least ONE thing in each of these people that make them an addition to the human race - no can do, Joe! I got nothin'!!

So...
with that in mind I started looking in the mirror, began re-assessing my "value" properties to see if perhaps I was being too harsh or overly judgemental. Not a bad idea once in a while...see where I am and then move forward, right? Well, what do you think the outcome of that little soul-search revealed?? Right! I am not in the minority here...as much as I want to be.

So...
did you ever wonder why some people choose to be hard to get along with or even combative? Well, that's where I currently find myself. My Mom uses a phrase "ten per-cent grace." I love my Mom, but I don't particularly like this phrase - why, you ask? Because sometimes 10% doesn't even get you to first coffeebreak with these guys!! That 10% is BURNED UP by about 0840AM and you still have the WHOLE REST of the day to go!! We all know, or have known, this person...or people, and have had the joy of having to deal with them on some level. Fun, huh??

So...
what now? I certainly don't want to see the worst in people...but this has been a tough month. Maybe living and interfacing on a 7/24 basis over the last 6-weeks has skewed my perspective, but I don't think so. Realizing that shipboard life magnifies some personal qualities of individuals...I try to take that into account as well.

What to do, you ask? I don't know either...but I'm workin on it!!