Do you ever get hit upside the head by a reality of yourself that you didn’t recognize? I’ve been studying issues of culture in one form or another since pretty early and formally beginning in high school. I know all the dimensions of communication. Okay, some. The field has advanced since 1999 when I buried my head under a rock contrary to the way I tote out my intercultural background when writing grants. Anyway, I am SO polychronic when I thought I was entirely monochronic.

What else do I not recognize about myself? I like to try new ideas on for size, but, guess what, I have a low risk tolerance. Honestly, I have no clue who I am and it’s causing uncertainty in my interpersonal interactions. I’m having some major communication huh-whats as of late and I think it’s because I’m being all high context when I should hang low for a while.

And so now my attempt at being more low context while holding true to my need for a great deal of field dependence, face-saving, and conflict resolution. How do I say this without offending the offensive? By that, I mean how can I say this without having to deal with these actual people anymore ever? Person 1, quit taking money from hungry people because you want fancy drapes. Person 2, is it possible that you could put your offense/defense in your pocket for a second and look at the community surrounding you? You are loved, but your targets can sometimes get hurt. Persons 3 and 4, maybe YOUR children need therapy because you’ve closed their minds. Oh, and look up jingoistic. I think you are using it incorrectly.

This is what helped me sleep this past week. It’s so wrong, it’s right.

This was the second place winner in craftster.org’s ironic cozy contest.