The Contrarians
They are the ones who always have something snarky to share on Twitter. They are the first to poke holes in a good idea. They love to stir the pot, ask the hard question, point out the negative. They are THE CONTRARIANS, the yin to my yang. They are essential, as night is to day, as hot is to cold, as salt is to pepper...Ok, I'll stop with the cheesy metaphors!
I can sit here at my desk and scroll through the Rolodex in my mind and find them, filed under E for Essential.
"They may drive us bananas, but they make us better," I recently said to a group, providing some mollification for the impact of a captain of contrarianism.
I am a glass is half full kind of guy, always seeking the positive, finding light even in the darkest of situations. But I fully recognize that if everyone was like me, the world would be a very boring place.
THE CONTRARIANS are quick to provide opinion, sharp perspective - beating about the bush has no meaning to them; they get right to the point. They have a tendency to be viewed as brash and brazen. They can come across as being hurtful and insensitive, though their intention is often otherwise. They inspire debate, discussion, and spirited defense of ideas, issues and positions.
And as much as they make us crazy, fuel our rancor, and send our blood pressure soaring, they inevitably help us be better.
So, today, for no particular reason, I salute THE CONTRARIANS that surround us, in our organizations, our communities (including our virtual communities), in our circle of friends and in our families. Thank you for adding spice to our soup and giving it a good stir.
Thanks! even if I was not on ur list; I do believe I was.
ReplyDeleteI consider myself part of the contrarian subspecies. We are a passionate group of individuals who's life's partial intention is to make you aware that the entropy in the universe may be underestimated. We are not an immediate go-with-the-flow type of personality and drive home our points and concerns using whatever character that is necessary to be heard. Our passion for perfection is sometimes all that separates us from making the full transformation from human to werewolf. Considering or acknowledging the contras of a rational and educated contrarian can lead to better solutions to problems. Make no mistake, we live among you and we are watching what you do.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback and additional wisdom Brett.
ReplyDeleteI have someone to concur with.... thanks Brett!
ReplyDeleteI have to say thank you to both you and Brett Russell for a very nice and thoughtful insight on both sides of the topic.
ReplyDeleteAs you mentioned to me, I am one of these people. My intentions are to provide balance to discussions so we don't get so wrapped up in the positive that we forget the negatives. An unfortunate part of our society that is removed from the ideals we seek.
I was once told that if we forget the road we came on, we forget how to get back. I view this today as a guiding principle of trying to never getting lost in the light of the one side of a topic.
I believe that I can be as positive as the next person given the right circumstances, but not blind to the realities, when we know the other side.