Saturday 24 October 2009

The Power of Sulk

Sigh... 

Bizarrely, in the space of only two months, in wholly unconnected events, I've had two close mates enter a sulking contest with me.

You know the sort of thing: the old "Herrumph!" of indignation, followed by, "I've nothing more to say on the matter! Sod-off and never darken my door again" type flounce - before entering into the protracted playground zero-sum game of seeing who'll be the first to 'crack' by either 'caving in' and making an approach at rapprochement; or actually doing the adult thing and just admitting that life is far too short and that only kids enter sulks; and that, as adults, we need to get our collective shit together and get back on an even keel. Although, like most men, I'm guessing it demands a maturity we sometimes lack!

The irony is that both these flounces happened over something as mundane and trivial as a disagreement in an exchange on the Internet. Lord knows Thatcher and Heath spent nigh-on 35 years at mutual daggers-drawn over something as meagre as the soul and direction of the Conservative Party; so you'd expect my two falls-out to be over something so massive that they warranted UN mediation and attendant peace-keepers.

Oh that that were the case.

Out of these two, one, a Brit, I have known since 1987, was an usher at my wedding and whom I  took diving to the Red Sea on his first diving trip. I know his family and we spend weekends at each other's houses. He has no brothers, and I guess he sees me as that brother he never had. Actually that perhaps tells me something about the depth of his feeling in this matter.

The other, a Yank, I've never met in person, but 'known' vicariously only latterly in the past 2 years or so, but with whom I struck an immediate chord on a number of levels - usually with me it's an acerbic wit and a sense of humour which initially attracts me to a person - then I let the rest of their character traits fall-in behind that. I find that most things can be either forgiven or accommodated as long the person has the ability to laugh their their own, and my, mistakes.

Well, at least one thing's certain: there'll be no resolution to these tiffs with no one making the effort to reach out and make the first stab at resolving the current impasse.

I'll let you know how I get on...






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