For the record, acting interested in a conversation when you’re not actually interested----that’s fake. But it’s popular among Americans because, as Americans, we are afraid of offending people. Lately I’ve been experimenting with actually trying to be real. I have told people mid-conversation, and politely, “I’m actually not interested in hearing all that.” Maybe that makes me a jerk. But it definitely makes me honest. And it’s funny, because instead of being offended, most people really respect that I’m giving them my true word. I’m not listening like a fake person. I’ve been really listening. My theory is that’s part of why bars are so popular. It’s not because we only want a drink. We could do that at home. It’s because we still want to connect with people, but we’ve forgotten how. So we stuff ourselves into a crowd, hoping that something will happen. But you can’t buy intimacy like you can buy a beer. You have to open up. You have to not be fake. And that might mean you offend somebody.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 06:00:59 +0000