Thought~Byte No. 55

Thought~Bytes are posted every Wednesday. To see all Thought~Bytes and get an email when new ones are posted, please join Thought~Bytes.

Love this one.  For most of my life I was afraid of trying things because I did not want to look foolish.  I  missed out on some good times making me the biggest fool.  Now I try to do things knowing if I do look foolish at least I am having fun.

Don't ever give up! My motto.

10 4 u

"Foolish" is a judgment call by others. Often because they are jealous or trying to knock you down so their self esteem seems relatively higher — at the moment.

Worrying about doing something that makes us look foolish is something we are taught. Our natural reaction when we are children and we do something that doesn't quite work out the way we thought is to laugh and enjoy it.

It takes effort to get back to that position. Sounds like you made the effort, Linda. Good for you.

And a good motto it is, Jeanette.

Sort of like, "People who live in glass houses...."  Sort of like the pot calling the kettle black.

As I get older I am more able to be flawed.  It used to cause me such great pain because I feared the judgment of others.  Perhaps now, I just accept that judgment is always there and does not have to define me.

The drawings inasmuch as your words, brings an excerpt of one of my older poems to mind:

" Don't laugh at the man who is down on his luck    unless you can laugh at what you've lost    Don't add to the burden of his shame    if you don't intend to bear his cost"

"He who laughs last, laughs loudest"!

As I have aged I have found that when others judge us as foolish it is best to laugh and move on. Their judgement of others is their problem, not mine.

Oddly, I have seen my pet cat or dog look foolish but I can't recall ever seeing a person look foolish.  Must be something wrong with me.

Of course I frequently hear or read things people say or write that are foolish.  Does that count?

Takes one to know one, eh?

Definitely, Lydia. We like to judge the familiar.

"Sort of like the pot calling the kettle black."

Pointing out our own failings in others seems to be a favorite human pastime, John.

"I just accept that judgment is always there and does not have to define me."

Excellent attitude, Karen.

Making a judgment defines the judge not the "victim."

" Don't laugh at the man who is down on his luck    unless you can laugh at what you've lost    Don't add to the burden of his shame    if you don't intend to bear his cost"

Wow, Robert. Great poem.

It expresses well one of the aspects of this Byte. Thanks.

Thanks John, gave just the excerpt.  Didn't want to take away from your post by inserting the entire poem.

Peace to you my friend.  Always.

"He who laughs last, laughs loudest"!

True, Georgiana, and an unexpected connection to this Byte. Thanks.

"Their judgement of others is their problem, not mine."

Exactamente, Ruth. An important facet here. Well phrased.

"I have seen my pet cat or dog look foolish but I can't recall ever seeing a person look foolish."

VERY intriguing, Larry because animals are the perfect example. You might judge they did something foolish but that has no effect on them.

Re: your question. Any foolish judging counts.

I don't know. Why don't you tell me?
Lol!

I dunno, John. Opinions count sometimes, don't they? Like "The Emperor's New Clothes"--who was foolish then?

Very nice!

Oh, Angela, I would but then you'd been missing that personal growth that comes from pondering on your own  :)

Beaker, even if it is true it's the judging attitude that is the foundation for this Byte.

Thanks, Sheila.

Gotta say it really depends on the situation. Not that I care, but a fool is a fool is a fool no matter who it is. I too wear that hat on occasion.

I don't think anyone likes to look foolish, but if I didn't reach out and try things, regardless of how it looked or how it turned out or what 'people' thought, I would never have tried anything.  I would have missed some grand things. Pfft on what people think. If you fall, laugh and dust off the knees and go at it again.

Whether they are or not, Vivian, calling them one adds another dynamic.

Or utterly irrelevant John.

Sia, I think looking foolish is often just another term for the guts to experiment.

This reminds me of a joke:

That guy is a such a loser, he hangs out at this bar every night.

LOL, Lance.

it dosen't matter to me!

this kind of thing rings true for most,,, " whatever is, is,"  if our brain doesn't work for us then,,, we're lost,,, Bless you my friend John,,, thank you,,,

Does that mean both are, Blaine ?

I guess it's when our brain works for others — without being asked — that we get in trouble, Marie.

If the someone is my boss or my wife, then I've screwed up and I'm a candidate for the fool.

If the someone is myself then there is no other fool in sight to blame it on.

Anybody else -- If someone is a friend then we are probably just gooing off and there is no fool, if not a friend, then who gives a crap?

Rest easy

Bill, I see you have fallen into the "fool segmentation" trap.  :)

good point

Which one looks foolish?  HA HA!!  It depends!

K D, A hint.

The one who uses the word "fool" is always looking in a mirror.

Aha!  I see that now!  By the way, I thought that picture was hiliarious in it's own right!

Thanks, Chas.

Labelling again John.  There you go with the labelling again.  I would indeed be a fool to label myself a fool.

yet would you not be a fool by assuming a foolish action is labeling yourself a fool?

and yes i know my thoughts are hard to follow at times

Or anything else, Dennis.

Technically, yes, Nina

(Disclaimer: I came to this conclusion before the caffeine kicked in. I may change my mind shortly  :)

In reality, no one is a fool and only humans play around with that appellation.