ASSUME
This is a funny word. My high school soccer coach taught me one lesson I will always remember...and it wasn't about soccer (needless to say, he was a terrible coach). We'll get to that lesson in a few lines.
I find it irritating that so many people today think so highly of themselves. Surely the way they do their job is vastly superior to the way anyone else might do the same job. Surely the route they drive through town is the correct route. Surely the experiences they have had are head and shoulders above the experiences of others. Ofcourse they are correct on any subject no matter if they actually have any knowledge of that subject or not. They are right. Didn't you know?
What this boils down to is that many people in our society today love themselves so much that they naturally think everyone else should (or does) love them that much too. They think everyone else should get in line behind them and follow along like the sad little misinformed people they are. Heck, maybe the misinformed will be smart enough to take advantage of being in the presence of of such a wonderfully smart person and learn something. Right..........
On to the funny word. These people are actually assuming that they are correct or right or best or whatever. They assume that the rest of the world wants to or should be like them. Because it works for them, they assume that it will work for someone else. Here's the lesson from my coach... When we assume something about someone (follow along here) we make an (mentally separate the first three letters of the word assume from the last three letters, now separate the last two letters from the "u") (are you getting it?)...
Let me help: When we assume, we make an ass/u/me. When we assume, we make everyone involved look silly and the funniest part is that the person doing the assuming usually doesn't realize that they look silly!
What's the lesson all of us need to learn here? (I'm not assuming that I am an expert on this or that I can teach this to anyone. I am including myself in the learner category) Don't think so highly of yourself, myself, ourselves. Don't think that we are the authority in every situation and on every topic. Let's make a deal. I won't assume if you won't. Let's think about each other before we think about ourselves. Let's practice good, clear, open communication. Let's ask good questions. Let's not be so quick to offer our "expert" advice. Let's be careful and caring listeners. Let's not offer solutions so brashly. Does this work for you? Is it a deal?
6 comments:
Matt, I like your ranting and rambling...it's good.
That reminds me of a saying my baseball coach had. "Excuses are like buttholes. Everyone has one and they all stink."
Not really related....but I think you can appreciate it all the same.
Just wait till Levi comes...then everyone and their grandma will assume they know better than YOU, the father, on how to raise your own child!!!
89 year old ladies at Wal-Mart forget it's been a looooong time since they had babies!
When you think about it, isn't it easier to give people the benefit of the doubt, assume that they are the best at what they do, and go about your business. I would rather people live and act with confidence in themselves, do the best job they can at whatever they are doing, and try their best not to screw it up. Because if they do screw it up, there was nothing you or i were going to do to prevent it just as there is nothing you or i can do to stop the impending conseuences of screwing up from reaching the recipient of said consequences for being the one who screwed up.
All that to say, let people do their thing, you do yours and hope for the best in people...
dear anonymous- Good Lord! Are you kidding!? Did you even read the post?
Well I'm not to brite. In fact as I was typing my post name I had to ask my wife how to spell it. Anyway, I'm not sure that 'Anonymous' was entirely sure of what he was trying to say which is why when the rest of us read it we got a headache. He probably read the blog and then assumed that he was an expert on the subject and assumed that everyone elese would think so to. I assume that you catch my point?
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