Honesty

I'm not sure honesty is the best policy anymore.  I'm not sure that's what anybody really wants.

To be honest is to accept the burden of it. 

Nobody wants to live a lie but so too does anyone want to know everything.   It's just too much too soon.

Truth is something meant to be unfolded over time with actions supporting the words.  There are no shortcuts.

I know....

Words have power but action gives them substance.  Honest intent, honest action needs no words.

The most honest response is often silence.

What causes more pain, an unkind word or silent indifference?

What causes more joy, a compliment or a warm embrace?

Honesty isn't really the problem, however,  it's trying to use words so often inadequate to the task.

Honesty can exact a heavy price.  One often paid alone.

Lies have no value, deception offers no refuge.  Don't misunderstand, I don't advocate them here.

But too much honesty robs the future, destroys the magic and....

Everything in moderation or so they say.  

"If only I'd known"  A decision to deny an outcome that only resulted in the very outcome feared. 

A reason for honesty that resulted in a different kind of pain.  One I brought on myself.

Live in the moment, don't try to fashion the next.  Take the light where its offered instead of demanding it appear.

If only I'd followed my own counsel.  

Now I'm adrift.  Unsure what to trust, unsure if I care.  

In times like these all that's left is to search out the light and let it guide me.

It'll have to be enough.

It's all I really have if I'm honest with myself.  

Heart Be Still....

I Don't Know...and that's OK

So I have this bare spot on my front lawn.  At this point it's become more of a bare "section" right smack dab in the middle where everyone can see it.

It's like walking up to the podium to accept an Oscar with your fly down.

Oh yeah, I know I'm supposed to be watering, seeding, fertilizing and all that stuff but it often seems much of that effort goes to waste.  To me the lawn is just another thing I take little joy in mostly because the returns are minimal.  Water is expensive and so is everything else that it takes to have a perfect green carpet.

Scarce resources demand compromise and there's a lot of that around here.  Although I do a fairly good job of hiding it a trained eye could spot my deception.  Would I like everything to be perfect?  Sure I would and I'll make it that way if I can.  Still, in the end the returns are superficial.  There are things far more important to know and invest myself in.


We can't know everything about everything and it's OK to admit that.  Everyone's different with their own unique talents.  Me, I'm good around cars and basic home repair but I wouldn't say I was an expert in them. 

I'm pretty good with people too but by no means an expert and sometimes I make mistakes.  OK, I make mistakes more than sometimes but that's how we learn.  I'm subject to the same biases and subjective noise as anyone else but I try to stay aware of such things so I can get past them.  No great feat really.  I'm just willing to ignore those things that may be superficially objectionable to find the real person.

The things I know about myself, the things I believe in about me or someone else often have no words.  The things that matter are often that way.  I'd rather show than tell and sometimes it's clumsy or ill-timed.

That's OK too.  So long as it's an honest expression there's no greater gift even if the wrapping is a little messed up.

The most genuine thing you can ever admit to yourself is that you simply don't know.  Hopefully followed up by,  "but I want to learn."

"I Don't Know" isn't an end, it's a beginning...

Ye shall have a thick skin

"poorly researched article that looks like it was written by an 8th grader."

I guess I touched a nerve. But at least I was hitting the ideal grade point reading level!

That little gem was a response to an article I did on Technorati by an obvious fan of the TWIT network. That's OK  everyone's entitled to their opinion.  Even if it's wrong.

I replied to the comment and actually thanked the reader for it. Kill 'em with kindness or psychological warfare, you decide. At least I know something other than a twitter bot is reading my stuff. Outside of that I really don't care.

I still watch TWIT programming on a regular basis as I'm still of the opinion that it contains some of the best technical content available on any medium. It's also an excellent way to keep up with the pulse of technology trends and attitudes toward them. I won't let that stop me from giving an honest opinion though, even if 99% of the Internet disagrees.


Consider the source as my aunt used to say. When cat videos and angry birds are consistently in the Internet top 10 you have to wonder ...

For my part, I think I've written more than enough about TWIT and unless something major happens I think I'm done with it. I don't like to assault deceased equines.

No, I'm far more interested in the reaction I quoted at the start of this post.

People who post responses like the one above either instantly attack anything that hints at a negative opinion of their favorite whatever or didn't bother to read the article at all and just like to troll comment forums. As a rule I never respond from a knee-jerk reaction be it as author or reader.

Writing is easy unless you want someone to actually read it. So I appreciate the effort it takes to put together an article that passes the muster of seemingly merciless online editors. In that vein I try to be as thoughtful in my comments as the writer was in providing the content.

A courtesy my friend there was unable to extend.

One of the primary rules I follow when I'm assembling an article is to make sure I have something worth saying.

Ok, that sounds stupid but hear me out. There's no shortage of useless prose on the Internet and I don't want to add to it.

When I sit down and try to flesh out something the intent is to offer my own perspective on topics you may or may not be familiar with.

I've got no ego about these things either. I can point to at least 3 articles on Technorati that I've published in the past 6 months that I'd love to rip down and redo. I can't even look at them without cringing. To be honest I feel that way about most of the stuff I post. I'm my own worst critic. That's why drive-by comments like the one at the top of this page don't bother me.

I guess that's my best advice to anyone who writes anything for public consumption. If you believe in your message it'll stand up to criticism and you won't be reduced to tears when someone makes an unkind remark.