In an earlier conversation today, a friend and confidant said (somewhat in exasperation), “You are too smart to really be this naive. You’re deliberately being naive, aren’t you?” At the time I presumed it was a sort of chiding, backhanded compliment. After some thought, I’d like to challenge everyone else to give it a try. Go ahead. Be a total homer.If you take me seriously, and on this one occasion you should, you will see your world change in front of your eyes.
Yes, I am naive, and expect to stay that way.
I live in NYC, and I am surrounded by humanity’s worst trash and refuse. Despite that, I have always had a reputation of being direct, honest, and never playing games (besides soccer).
Try it, and you’ll be making the world a slightly better place. No lies, no games, no politics. You’ll be happier, and folks around you will notice.
Sign me up, baby! This ride is one I’ll never get sick of.
Otherwise you can go back to a life of sulking, scheming and disappointment. Sucks to be you. And people like this do affect my day, as I still have to find ways to insulate myself from, well, jerks. That skill however was honed years ago on the playground – and so I put that long-lost knowledge to good practice.
And you should too. Go ahead, when you see someone do something that you think is awesome, don’t be too cool for school – walk up to them and tell them straight up that they just rocked in a special way. As you sit there on the subway, and you see someone playing with a new doodad that fascinates you, ask them how they like it, and why they got it in the first place. See someone in line at the register, and they are $0.45 short? Come on, man, lighten up your pockets and get that pesky metal out on the counter! Every three or four blocks or so, randomly high-five someone as they walk by.
Ok, this is not really naive in a strict sense, but these things are things you will start to do naturally when you practice deliberate naivete.
I'm Mitch, and this is my blog. I tend to blow the whole thing up and relaunch using a completely different platform every 90 days or so. You can learn more about me on my social site stuff (see links below) and by reading about me on this here site.
You know, I’m accused of being naive all the time and it has taken me a long time to accept that not recognizing games playing and politics in offices or in clients might be a good thing. Yes, I ask complete strangers on public transportation about books they are reading or newspaper articles. I have made fast friends that way and gotten the strangest looks. I come from a big city, too, but I guess I have always felt that if you do a good job it’ll get recognized. It makes me a lousy office worker and a pretty good freelancer (19 years and counting). I think in the long run, knowing yourself and trusting instincts is better than faking it.
I follow http://www.bookcrossing.com/ and always leave my read books in somewhere public like a bus in the hope that the next person will pick it up and get the same enjoyment out of it that I did. Of course it might end up in the trash but….
I see how good and helpful naive can be, in fact we’re told to think on what is good and true by God. This together with a honest understanding of right from wrong – good from evil, is an excellent combination.