I’ve written countless posts about how people are inherently hypocritical.
Saying one thing but acting in another.
Demanding action in one area, but insisting their situation isn’t affected.
Shouting about democracy but not liking it when the result doesn’t go their way.
We are all like this – everyone – but I am still amazed how many people only see this trait in others, not themselves.
Actually, I’m even more amazed that there are researchers out there who don’t even recognise this behaviour in others – which might go some way to explain why so many focus group findings could have been found by a blind man, but I digress.
The reason for all this is that I recently was in a meeting when a man I’d never met before, walked in holding this glass …
Cop a load of that.
1. He’s telling everyone he’s a Virgo.
2. It goes on a massive rant how brilliant & hard working Virgo’s are.
3. It has the audacity to say they are modest and shy.
Modest and shy?
SO WHY THE FUCK IS HE WALKING INTO A ROOM OF STRANGERS WITH THAT WRITTEN ON HIS GLASS OF WATER?
Now I know what you’re thinking, “But what if that isn’t his glass?”
Well that’s a fair enough question – even though anyone in their right mind would do all they could to avoid using that glass – but when I saw it, I asked him if he was a Virgo and the funny thing is, he was genuinely surprised that [1] I asked and [2] I was right.
Who are these people???
Now I appreciate he didn’t do it to be a showoff – he was an extremely nice, gentle and kind gentleman – but the fact he didn’t realise [1] bringing a glass to a meeting that basically screamed ‘Virgoan’s are the greatest people in the entire Universe’ and [2] we’d naturally assume he was born a Virgo, highlights how people often see themselves very differently to how the rest of the World see’s them.
To be fair, a lot of that is the brains fault given it has been designed to protect our memories and ego regardless of reality, but still, not realising a glass like that would make you look an egotistical dick rather than a diligent and humble hard-worker is quite amazing.
So next time you’re in a meeting and people are throwing out facts about their life or thoughts … remember what they’re saying, might not always be as singleminded as they might like to believe. Focus group facilitators take note.
With all that in mind, I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank you lot … my wife … my friends … my clients … my colleagues … who all keep me very, very aware of my utter hypocrisy at every turn. I suppose that makes me a lucky man, even though I probably need to spend a bit more time trying to convince myself of that fact.