Posted by pseudoname on July 2, 2006, at 10:02:31
In reply to Re: Accepting mistakes » curmudgeon, posted by Tamar on June 30, 2006, at 20:43:32
I've learned that it makes my life a lot easier to post almost everything tentatively, leaving myself room to turn around on any point or take it back. Not "is" but "seems". Admit up front how skimpy the evidence is that I'm basing my opinion on. Attribute positions to established authors without quite saying that I believe it, too. Be honest in advance about uncertainty and fallibility.
Of course, for me, all of that weasely qualifying language has to be HONEST. Just adding "IMO" doesn't help. I have to believe in the doubt.
That's not for other people's benefit, but for mine. So if experience or other people start to change my mind, I don't have to eat as much crow when getting on the other bus. (Er, metaphorically.)
But I do poorly when someone replies expressly to dismiss my post as an unimportant or irrelevant concern. My only options there seem to be seething for weeks or going nuclear on them.
poster:pseudoname
thread:662984
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20060623/msgs/663509.html