By nature, I am not curious in the sense that if I were to come across some person I had never seen before, entering my office that I become itchy to find out about him and the nature of his visit, unless he has come to specifically meet me or approaches me for help or directions. Similarly, if I visit people?s homes, I would not overly look at, touch or make enquiries about their possessions, unless they were to invite me to have a look at it.
I would not like to know about my friends? personal lives, unless they parted information on their own. If they confided something to me, then I would keep that information between me, him and the lamppost. I like to keep my life as a closed book to many people, barring those who have endeared to me. This is because I feel that true friends are few and far apart and most others are just ?fair weather? friends required to get on with our lives. They would not be privy to my life, just because I socialize, talk and joke with them.
"All said and done, I am born under the star sign, the Aquarius, the water-bearer, which makes me observe people’s behaviour on a public arena and speculate why they behave in a certain way."
Any person, however good or bad he may be, is at his best behaviour or puts up pretences of being a very good person when he interacts with people who, by virtue of being powerful, are the movers-and-shakers and can move and make things happen and dispense favours. Naturally, as this person wants to get his things done, he has to be on his best behaviour, even to the point of fawning. We can judge the quality of a person, when he deals or interacts with people who are not as affluent or fortunate than him or at the workplace junior to him. A good person will be civil and polite (and a bad person will be totally arrogant, bossy, discourteous, rude and vain) with them.
When it comes to a celebrity, there are those fans, most of whom are getting the rare or never-dreamt-of chance to meet their idol, shake hands and talk to him. They simply get overawed in the celebrity?s presence and overdo things by heaping lavish praises and admiration for their idol to the extent of appearing foolish and naive. We can see this scenario at events, on the electronic media, etc.
When it comes to generous people there are the two types. The first type is generous with their wallet only when it comes to people who are needy, deserving or those who have fallen in dire straits. The second type is generous to all and sundry and they attract not only people who are genuinely in need, but also those who are misers and scoundrels running after freebies. These people enjoy at others? cost and, at best, could be described as parasites and scourge. If some generous soul was to provide them a banquet, they would guzzle it like vultures without any shreds of decency, but if they were hungry and were forced to put their hands on their wallets, then they would cut corners and go for the cheapest.
The best way to judge a person, rate his stature, character, strength and weakness, is to observe him when he is very angry or drunk.
If a person gets angry or edgy without any valid reason or rhyme, then he is not a stable person. There are people who are temperamental, impulsive and short-fused that cannot hold their tongues on leash. This is a serious weakness in them. There are people who, though good by heart, are short tempered, impatient and get flustered easily. This too is a sign of weakness and temporary insanity. When they cool down, they realize and regret their follies and proffer genuine apologies. Sadly, they cannot control their mercurial temper and their whiplash tongue is the cause of many foes and woes.
When a person is drunk, one can gauge his strengths and weaknesses. Some people lose their bearings and become argumentative for no valid reasons. Others talk about their personal problems, break down, cry bitterly and have to be consoled by others. At parties, some want to dance with their partners or with babes they can catch hold of and, without going into many details, their antics are worth watching and hilarious. There is a breed of people who would like to brag about themselves, their wealth and achievements and sound boorish. Then there are some, who are intelligent, well informed and knowledgeable and socialising with such people is an educative and very enriching experience.
Going further, one comes across people who are wholly reliable and one cannot expect them to tell lies, except for the occasional white lies. Therefore, they are considered as trustworthy and even if they were to bluff for sheer fun, mischief or prank, people would believe what they say as Gospel truth. This is because of their credibility.
Then, one comes across people who are born and inherent bluff masters, who lack credibility and are avoided and ridiculed by everyone. However, certain bluff masters have panache and style of bluffing that provides immense fun and hilarity to their audience. Therefore, it is always worth encouraging them rather than avoiding, ridiculing or shooing them away, for the immense fun value they provide.
Author: Nelson Lewis- Bahrain
