Monday, July 25, 2011

Online Education

Class is about to begin.
Out-cast: noun : one that is cast out or refused acceptance (as by society) - Taken from the Mirriam Webster online dictionary
An outcast isn't someone who puts him/herself in a position where no one (to include family) wants to be around him/her through selfishness, creating and maintaining drama, ignorance and tasteless behavior. That, my friend, is entirely different. Remember that boy in the 3rd grade that everyone was mean to because he couldn't read very well or the girl who's parents couldn't afford to keep up with the current trends (or her growth spurts) so she was stuck in Goodwill high water pants from the 1980's? Those are examples of an outcast. The guy that refuses, time and time again, to thank others for their hospitality and generosity, going so far as to purposely take advantage, he's not an outcast. The girl that can't stand the attention being removed from her and makes up stories to gain pity and the spotlight, only for those around her to figure out she's been lying each time, she's not an outcast either. A person cannot be an outcast if (s)he continuously behaves in such a manner as to send people packing.
A little common sense goes a long way. Do you enjoy being stuck with the bill because a specific friend repeatedly "forgets" his/her wallet each time you go out? Probably not. In fact, I'd go so far to say that after you've paid so much for his/her dinners/recreational activities, you'd stop going out together. So before you make your next move of forcing your "friend" into paying your bill, refusing to say thank you for that elaborate Christmas gift your Great Aunt Gertrude gave you or making your cousin feel two inches tall because something good happened to him and you're jealous, think to yourself, "Self, does this make me look like a jacka jerk? Would I be happy if someone did this to me repeatedly?" If either answer is yes, reflect on what you can do instead to make the situation a positive one. I don't know, you could maybe start with paying your friend's bill for a change, calling Great Aunt Gertrude and thanking her profusely for all the gifts you selfishly accepted without a thank you and congratulate your cousin before apologizing to all of them profusely for acting like an "amoeba on a flea on a dog," to quote the great Frenchie.

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