Friday, April 27, 2012

The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships 27

In my latest reading of The Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships, the topic was managing anger. I enjoyed what author Robert S. Sanders, Jr. had to say about how he handled his anger. I liked what he said about how he devises fantasy class syllabi to deal with his anger. For example, he has fantasy classes on arrogance, egotism, etc.

I especially appreciated what Sanders said on page 357: "I don't feel that AS individuals always have to conform to the norms of social rules of conduct, but at the same time, it's not useful to any of us to carry our anger too far."

I'd like to fit in, but I also don't want to be a clone. I think that sometimes a contrarian or a degree of eccentricity makes life interesting! But it shouldn't be taken too far, I guess, to the point that it's utterly disruptive.