A Code of Intelligent Discourse

The two of you who continue to read my blog know that when I am vulnerable;

Susceptible to emotional injury. Susceptible to attack. Liable to succumb to persuasion or temptation.

I'm not good to others— I listen with my mouf' instead of my ears, ramble, over-talk, and become impatient. Eventually, I recognize it for what it is and I isolate, using seclusion to center myself and reaffirm:

Non-directiveness

I will carefully limit the use of "should" language and coercive "verbal bludgeons," which others may perceive as bullying, unwanted advice, or pressure to behave as I dictate.

Non-allness

I will regularly use "limiters and qualifiers" in my statements, to remind myself and others that generalizations are inevitably limited in their applicability.

Non-polarization

I will carefully limit the use of either or expressions that tend to dichotomize the discussion of a topic and suggest that it must be thought of only in terms of two polarized extremes.

Wait. Maybe this is the effect of Mercury Retrograde.

Harm None,

O. B. TramueL