shawn farner|*feeding* the social web obsession

I feel like the majority of the world’s citizens care WAY too much about what other people think.  Worse yet, most of these people act like the most confident people in the world; that is, until things get a little rocky.  These are the people who go immediately on the defensive and attack, attack, attack.  To me, that is a sign of weakness.

Whatever happened to taking a joke?  If it’s at your expense, so what?  Laugh it off, or joke back, playfully.  Who cares if there are a ton of people around?  Make a fool of yourself.  Why anyone would want to go a day being anything but themselves totally eludes me.  Those worth knowing will accept you for who you are, and those who write you off don’t deserve a second of your time.

Surround yourself with like-minded people; people who know what it means to “chill out”.  If you can joke back and forth and still be friends at the end of the day, you’ve found the right type of person.  If you joke with someone and they retaliate with a remark that’s meant to cut you down or embarrass you, you and that person are not on the same page.  Chalk it up to a lack of confidence and move on.