8 Comments
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Hal Wilson's avatar

Loved this one! Smart work

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Caleb Caudell's avatar

Thanks, Hal

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J Monohan's avatar

Great stuff, Caleb! I find myself constantly struggling to write about the situations and people in my life in a way that doesn't feel like me "reacting" to them passive aggressively. Even though it definitely sometimes is.. ha.

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Caleb Caudell's avatar

Thanks J. It’s nearly unavoidable in writing, it seems. Have to be careful with those relationships

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enfanterribleidiotsavantgarden's avatar

You need apply what Spinoza wrote: “I have striven not to laugh at human actions, not to weep at them, nor to hate them, but to understand them.”

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Caleb Caudell's avatar

Well, if Spinoza really understood humans, then he’d know it’s impossible for us to live without laughter, weeping and hatred

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enfanterribleidiotsavantgarden's avatar

Haha, yeah rationalism and repression, I know. But depending on the situation it's useful to try to understand a person or group of people by their background and personality e.g. if they are poor, middle class, like a certain musical genre etc.

This might avoid conflicts if you are having problems with them.

And what surpasses the "trying to understand" I explained is obviously the empathy, women are better at it as anyone with common sense knows.

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enfanterribleidiotsavantgarden's avatar

Oh and I've forgotten, there's exceptions when it is naive to apply either simpathy or empathy, it is with your BOSS, a bureaucrat/professional, an idiot really, agressively wanting trouble with you, and so on.

If that is J's case then he can let the cat out of the bag!

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