| The Art of Doing Away |
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It took a while before I realised that there was a thought I was trying to ignore, and for good reason. Although I have been making a valiant effort for quite a few years now to do away with the tradition of reassessing my perspectives around the new year, this year too the urge to formulate a good intention had sunk its claws in me before I knew what had hit me. The beneficial effect of bad intentions, especially on individuals who mean well, remains sadly underexposed, by the way: Just try to imagine the sense of relief those among us who are good folk must feel when they finally decide on a course of action the majority of their fellow creatures would spontaneously have charted anyway, in that you and I are invariably surprised when someone is revealed to have his or her heart in the right place after all. Not that the world will be any the worse for this, for intentions are seldom carried through, regardless of disposition. Despite all this it dawned on me that it wouldn't do me any harm to put a more concerted effort into expressing myself in somewhat gentler terms when writing about subjects such as the Amsterdam Municipal Executive, the fundamentalist line of thinking that holds sway in the periphery of the artistic scene, bicycle repairmen, the caterers at the RAI Conference Centre, or the inner circle in own line of business. Of course this is just a selection, but I have decided for the sake of my own sanity that it should suffice. As much as my opinions tend to differ from theirs, that does not as such mean their intentions are no good, for it may be something as simple as a lack of insight into their starter kit of social skills that lies at the heart of the troubles their behaviour heaps on you and me. Awkward as this may be for all parties concerned, surely that's not to say that the afflicted party has asked to be afflicted in this manner, so why should I resort to aggressive language or mockery? I would in fact take this argument one step further, and invite you to try it for yourself. Let's assume that you are convinced that your correspondent - let's be positive, especially given the context, and not stoop to calling them "adversary" - is a scheming and malicious individual whose intentions are deliberately no good at all, and witness their bewilderment when you are nice to them even when telling them how it is. Although I admit that this technique doesn't always do the trick and may in fact be risky, it will nevertheless provide you with an instant sense of satisfaction - and you never know, a tiny little spark might in time set alight a happy blaze. Some things can't be rushed, after all. I would therefore urge you not to interpret the very best wishes for a happy new year which I hereby extend to you, albeit somewhat belatedly, against the backdrop of the above. |