How To Talk To People

Medicine, We Were Promised Jetpacks. They're so Scottish! And alternative! Alternatively Scottish!

As the title might suggest, I had the marvellous idea of writing up a blog-manual on how to converse like a human being with other human beings - but when it came to writing the beginning of this sentence, I realised that I am in no position to be telling other people how to be able to engage in normal conversation when I'm so utterly incapable of it myself. That's why I blog so much, if I'm honest. I struggle to talk to most people, and writing is where I'm most comfortable expressing myself [we'll ignore the fact that it's mainly the people I am able to talk to who are likely to be reading this]. 

So. yeah. Talking. Part of me hates it; there's nothing worse than taking a seat in tutor next to someone you've known for ages, smiling timidly at one another and asking the inevitable: how are you? In a world of forced niceties [hell yes, that is a  word], how are you has got to be the most unappealing question anyone could possibly ask. You might as well be honest and say I don't know what to say to you, but I don't want to look like a loser so I'm going to pretend to take an interest in your life when, to be quite honest, I don't give a monkey's; we've known each other for three years now and I still can't talk to you, I'm thinking we should maybe retreat into silence and just hope it's companionable enough not to be awkward. Ugh. Small talk. I don't know whether it's worse to be known as the girl who asks people how they are all the time, or the girl who listens to music like a loner because she'd rather not waste the oxygen. I've been both, among others, from time to time.

In my experience, I've found that conversation is most natural, and easiest, with people with whom you can be comfortable as yourself - with whom you can be honest. Someone who's quick with a joke and a compliment, who's unaware of social expectations, who smiles as though there's nothing wrong and knows when to take the conversation to a more serious level, and also when to not speak at all. The people who can do all of these and continue to surprise me are generally the people that become my friends. The people who completely ignore all of those and still manage to entrance me are my closest.

On an unrelated topic, I've come to the conclusion that being too similar to a person makes for a bad potential relationship, because both parties are snobby about the same things - ie, the other person. Being said other person is really quite unpleasant. 

Quote of the Day: I felt the power of death over life; I orphaned his children, I widowed his wife. I beg their forgiveness, I wish I was dead. [I Hung My Head, Johnny Cash]