I am a big fan of the author, Mercedes Lackey. In a book called "Owlflight," which she wrote with Larry Dixon, I found:
"Half of being clever is making certain you are not being stupid."
That made me stop and think, which is what it ought to do. So many times when we think we've had a clever idea, it is just that we haven't had time to think it through and discover just how stupid an idea it might be.
My current "go-to" online dictionary (www.merriam-webster.com) provides me with the following definitions:
Clever — intelligent and able to learn things quickly; funny in a way that shows intelligence.
Intelligent — having or showing the ability to easily learn or understand things; or to deal with new or difficult situations
Stupid — lacking intelligence or reason; slow of mind
I have learned in my almost 65 years that when some new idea sounds really great and I wonder why nobody else ever thought of it, a good night's sleep will often reveal the following:
- It's not really such a great idea.
- It's not such a new or original idea.
- Other people DID think of it.
- Upon considering, they realized the idea was stupid, rather than great.
I have had a blog for 10 years and been a member of LinkedIn for a long time, but I joined Facebook much more recently. Yes, I know, I know, I came very late to the party, but that's not the point I want to make.
I frequently read something on Facebook that gets my emotions in turmoil. Generally, it's something about politics or a social issue. And what I read often makes me dash off an immediate response that is most often harsh in its judgment and definitely rude in its language.
But Facebook has taught me to stop and reread my responses before committing my words as a new post, a reply to an existing post, or a personal statement when I "share" something I read and liked.
Most of the time, when I finish writing my response and reread it, I delete it completely. On occasion, I edit and commit the post, but I have learned not to let my emotions trump my brain.
In other words, I have learned to recognize when I'm being really clever and when I'm just being really stupid! At this point, it only works for me about 75% of the time, but the percentage is getting better all the time.
Even those (now few) political or social areas where I still comment with my heart on my sleeve, I do it less and less often. I try to remember to ask myself,
"Do I really want to enter the fray on this one? Do I really know what I'm talking about on this subject?"
So I get jumped on for my Facebook posts less and less often, which means I'm remembering to think before I write, or at least before I commit to the post.
Hopefully, my new "think before you publish" attitude will improve the way I am seen on this blog and LinkedIn, as well as on Facebook.
All those people who said "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" obviously weren't thinking of me!