When I hit days like today, I always chide myself for not having anything already on tap. Granted, that’s now how I work – I don’t generally have a big pot of ideas to work with, preferring to fly by the seat of my pants and see what I can find as I go. Sometimes, great ideas will line themselves up for use, and I’ll use them; the ones I put aside tend to get ignored and neglected as they’ve lost relevancy to me after a day or two. Oh well.

Having said that, there’s one new thing to share in the bag of tricks, for which I’m relieved:

20 New Ways to Judge Others
http://www.becomingminimalist.com/2011/09/13/20-new-ways-to-judge-others/

Simply put, I love this. It’s pretty similar to the criterion I try to apply in my own life. I’m not as good at #14 (Love for Enemies) as I used to be; that well is currently down to the dregs, and I don’t have the energy for it. The best I can do is shut them off and not give them a dose of the old what-for that they ‘deserve’; it might not be love, but it as at least an attempt to consider them as people, and most most most people are undeserving of vitriol and bad feelings. Those cycles are self-perpetuating, and me? I’m fond of breaking the bad for the good, as hard as it might be.

I’m also not the best at #18 (Respect for Authority). Respect must be earned; it is not something that should come carte blanche. In truth, most people who fall under #14 for me are those who violate their authority to put others down, threaten people (and so forth), so it all sort of ties in. If you are in charge of me and you do your best to be a good boss and leader and example and remember that respect should be reciprocal, then I will do my absolute best to give due respect and professional affection and attention.

In short, I don’t think that my exceptions are ‘bad’, but I do intend to think on how I can resurrect my ability to love those who would wish me harm. It is definitely an admirable trait, worthy of emulation. It probably won’t happen until I make further strides on trying to sort out my mental health situation, but time will tell all things.

Anyways, enjoy. 🙂