The worst sins are probably committed by someone who didn't know when to walk away, when to let go. How do you know when persistence isn't paying off any more?
I could point out any number of political and business examples. It's a lot easier to second-guess from the outside instead of from the inside with events rushing at you, but there you go.
The examples I care about are the personal ones, because that's the only place where I can make a difference. Let me be clear: you're on your own when it comes to YOUR examples; I've got enough to deal with on this side.
It's a fine line, isn't it? We have a culture of perseverance, with heroic rewards figuratively attached. There are even billboards on the side of the road talking about it over the past year. When does perseverance turn into monumental stupidity?
A counselor, a psychiatrist might be able to help. They've got degrees for that, after all, and some earn a good living giving good advice. Slit my wrists before I do that, please, 'cause my issues are mine.
A friend might be able to help, but then they have to live with the guilt and responsibility if their advice is bad. Been there, done that, lost the t-shirt.
I guess the answer lies somewhere within your own level of tolerance, and keeping your eyes wide open. Observation isn't just an important survival skill, it's the root of all survival skills.
What do you think?
Posted by PyeCat at February 29, 2004 05:38 AMAs far as when it's time to let go, well, I'm not the person to ask. I obsess over stuff forever, even while I can objectively stand back and see that I'm obsessing about it. Plus, I'm damn stubborn. All those Scandihoovian and Germanic genes, you know.
All I can really tell you is that at some magic "Eureka point", gravity lets go and everything is okay again. I don't seem to have any conscious say in the matter, it simply resolves on its own.
It does help me, though, to spit it all out in written words. Once I got that scaper rant out, for example, the Eureka point followed in very short order. Not that this is always the case - the bigger the issue, the longer it takes. Broken engagement? That took me seven years.
But articulating it, AT LENGTH, even if no one else will ever read it, even if you burn the paper afterwards (yes, I've done that, too), seems to help.
Posted by: Thinky at March 5, 2004 02:30 PM