Please Be Insensitive

Web guru Dave Winer said:

When I needed heart surgery in 2002 and the doctor told me my life was over if I didn’t get it, you might say he was being insensitive, but he was telling me something that I knew was true that I needed to hear. Three days later after the surgery, recouperating, the surgeon told me if I resumed smoking I would be dead in three years. Again, insensitive (he said it with a smile on his face believe it or not), but I’m glad he said it. The way he said it made it easier to quit. Sometimes the truth hurts. You can’t blame people for saying things they believe, even if it hurts you to hear it.

I believe in confronting problems sooner versus later. That’s what being accountable is all about. Unfortunately, I think people too often sweep accountability under the rug in the name of patience and tolerance. Why? Fear of appearing insensitive, or achieving an abrasive impact. I’m concious of my own tendency to do this — at home, work and in social settings. I always try to remind myself: get over it. Life is sometimes like that.

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Published by Max Kalehoff

Father, sailor and marketing executive.