confessions of an american christian

Re insults & name-calling...

The way I see it, anyone who has to resort to those tactics has obviously run out of valid points or arguments.

In other words, the first person in any disagreement to resort to insults or name-calling automatically LOSES.

***

OK, I've heard plenty of cussing (as I've spent half my life in machine shops), and I didn't melt. I'm no prude.

However, I feel that excessive foul language used as commonly as punctuation - rather than sparsely (for possible emphasis) is not only degrading to the hearer and the speaker, it also degrades (cheapens) the message itself.

i.e. Messages laced with profanity appear to be unintelligent and disrespectful on their face and as such are much less appealing to me - or anyone - to read. So I won't.

It is painfully obvious to me that most Americans waste way too much of our time (life) on non-productive activities. (Case in point: you can usually exchange more information in a 5 minute phone call than you can in hours of eMailing.) So eMail is my "last resort" for 1-on-1 conversations.

I've got a life, a family and a business to run, so wasting hours on typing (eMail) isn't high on my priority list. (Lemme take that back; it isn't even ON my priority list!)

So put a phone # in your messages and I'll be more likely to get back to you.

Your message will not get read... ...unless you abide by the Rules of Engagement below. If you already agree to be respectful and non-accusatory then press your browser's "back" button to return to the contact page to eMail me.

___

THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

Sorry, but the web being the place that it is (where insults and disrespect seem to be the norm), I've gotta draw some boundaries. I don't need any more garbage in my life... I've spent too long getting rid of it. So follow these simple guidelines - or I'll just immediately delete your message (without bothering to read any more of it).

Thanks for your cooperation.

Rule # 1 - Stay out of my head;

I promise to stay out of yours.

My pet peeve is people who tell me WHY I (or someone else) said or did something. (That's usually just accusations - and NOBODY likes to be accused. Do you?)

The fact is, NOBODY KNOWS exactly why most people do or say many of the things they do! A classic example is "The guy in that car just gave me a dirty look"... when in fact 99.9% of the time, he's just...

squinting from the sun, or is

looking at a something else that happens to be in your direction, or is

reacting to what's on the radio, or

thinking of something else which is...

TOTALLY UNRELATED TO... YOU!

(What?! You mean... the world doesn't revolve around... ME?! ;-)

With that understood...

Don't bother telling me why I say and do the things I do. You don't know my motives; I DO. (Usually.)

Some may confuse my terse writing style with insensitivity or an inflated ego. I certainly am not intending to come off that way. Please forgive me, but I'm just not a good enough wordsmith (and/or simply can't spend the time required) to make everything sound exactly the way it probably should. (And then again, even if I did, some people would still take offense. Case in point: Jesus was perfect... and look what they did to him!)
Rather, you will see that I will always do my best to follow the 'rules' listed here myself and will never intentionally insult, degrade, or talk down to anyone. I don't like it when people do it to me, and I will never intentionally do it to anyone else.

So if you take any offense at something I say,please understand that no insult is ever intended. I do however, frequently challenge others to thoughtfully examine themselves as to why they do the things they do (i.e. their true values and priorities).

So... please try to 'hear my heart' and try to not let my (often insufficient) words obscure my well-intended message.

Rule # 2 - Be brief...

As I alluded in the sidebar/footnote,* I prefer EAR-Mail to e-Mail. If you've got something to say (or ask), make your eMail brief and 'to the point'. If it warrants longer conversation, then let's do it on the phone. If you want a response, then make me want to call you; if you pique my curiosity I'll eMail back a 1-liner letting you know that I'll be calling. (But again, it will probably take a while before I can reply to your eMail. Be patient.)

# 3 - ...and be COURTEOUS.

We've all had different experiences. Disagreement is inevitable - and expected - and welcome. However, if we disagree, it will be done respectfully - at least with me.

Anyone who has something worthwhile to say (or ask) can do it without insults,** name-calling,** profanity*** or condescension.

At the first glimpse of any of those, I'll just hit the delete button and get on with my life. I never waste my precious time continuing to read disrespectful messages. I don't hang out with people who diss me face-to-face; I'm CERTAINLY not going to waste any of my time reading the words of people who do it on-line.

Besides, if you feel you must resort to that to make your point... then you should obviously consider the possibility that your point doesn't have enough merit on its own.

________

Please press your browser's "back" button to return to the 'contact' page.