Diplomacy

This post was inspired by an article I read. (It's a relatively short post - that should keep your agony to a bare minimum :P)

One of my friends had written on how she speaks without thinking and hence gets into trouble. I really can sympathise. My nature (ask my friends for further details - you'll probably get angry rants, diplomatic silences or simple dismissals - "Who, him? Sucks!") is something that could be best described as naively honest. I really don't pay attention to what I say or when I say it. As a result, I'm prone to saying the wrong things at the worst possible times. It has gotten me into trouble several times, often for the silliest of reasons. What's the option? Be diplomatic? Sure, that could work. However, the way I see it, a lot of diplomatic people make for a very boring/irritating group. Each member will keep tripping over the other, in order to be politically correct. Fruitful discussions would be impossible, with no one person willing to criticize the other. The way I see it, sometimes, in order to gain something from a discussion, a spade needs to be called, well, a spade. The proverbial elephant in the room needs to be spoken about. You can't simply ignore it, expecting it to slink away unnoticed. (The imagery on this one is hilarious - just visualize it :D)

It's sad how everyone says they appreciate honesty, when all they actually prefer is mild flattery. Disguising your true feelings in what others really want to hear, rather than simply expressing them, does indeed work. I guess that's what diplomacy is all about.