Buyer Beware
If someone advises you to do something, but it doesn’t feel right, it probably won’t work for you, so why force it? You have instincts for a reason: use them. There are no absolutes in life, regardless of the source of information. Unless they are backed up with facts, anything that comes out of anyone’s mouth is an opinion. Sometimes even the facts are open to interpretation so accept information as gospel at your own risk.
Gee Chris, cranky much? Need some caffeine?
Thank you, no. I am beyond caffeine at this point.
When did it become okay for us as human beings to give up the responsibility of making our own decisions and then blaming others for our unhappiness? How is this acceptable? I stand before you on my 10-foot-tall pedestal and shout: IT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! Damn it.
Trust is a beautiful thing, but should in no way be a substitute for good judgment. “Experts” are everywhere on both sides of the fence (wine is good for you, wine is bad…) and it can be overwhelming, but you have to make the effort to figure out what’s best for yourself. You. Not your parents, your spouse, the guy in the designer suit behind the big desk… you. You have to do the research and make the value judgments: this is your innate responsibility to yourself and society at large.
Wow, you’re getting way too heavy, man. I thought this place was about writing and stuff. You’re killing my buzz.
Dude, just put down the doob and listen for a minute. It can’t be funny all the time, there has to be contrast.
I am talking about writing, by the way. Writing is about life. Advice, criticism, responsibility… they’re all inter-related. Let’s dissect my blog, for example. I’m subject to criticism like anyone else, so why not?
I am an aspiring author, which is code for, “I don’t yet have a published book credit.” I have not, nor will I ever, proclaim myself to be an expert on anything (“expert” has always been a dodgy word by my estimation). Does that mean my blog entries have little value? Maybe, maybe not. I have also stated that most of my ideas are steeped in common sense. Valuable? Again, that’s a judgment call. What I try to do with this blog is educate, inspire and entertain to the best of my ability. This is a responsibility I take seriously. My hope is to empower other authors, aspiring or otherwise, to make good decisions for themselves and their careers. I don’t have the personal experience of being able to write about some of these topics off the top of my head, like the library entry for example. When that happens I do what any responsible writer does- research the topic. I try to find people who know more than I and incorporate their knowledge into something useful for my audience. Now, what happens if the research is flawed? In my case, I have to trust that someone will bring the error to my attention so that I can fix it and then apologize. I cannot claim perfection, only responsibility.
As with any advice, none should be taken without first considering the source. As none of you know me yet, I have the burden of proving myself. I accept that and encourage all of you to take anything I say with a grain of salt. Even if I eventually do earn your trust, I hope to never inspire hero worship. This is how cults are created, people; don’t let that happen to you.
So what’s the end result supposed to be here, everyone just stop giving advice and keep to themselves? Do we need to preface every sentence with “This is just my opinion,” so people can prepare themselves for an impending ruling? No, that’s ridiculous. Humans, for the most part, are social creatures and many of us genuinely want to be of help. Problems arise, however, when we let someone else’s opinion mask our own. Trust yourself. If listening to the words of people you respect help to give you a better understanding of a situation, great, do it, but let the influence end there.
Again, this is just my opinion.
See how irritating that can be?
