Issues and How To Make Friends

Now, me knowing myself... I don't think exceptionally high of myself. Self-confidence is something I didn't invest in too much at an early age. Granted, at an early age self-confidence came at a pretty steep price and being the Sesame Street kid that I was, I certainly wasn't willing to pay that price then.

Let's not make any comparisons between then and now, shall we?

Anyways... things that I have learned in my time as a functioning (semi-functioning at times) human being tells me that principles are good things to stand by. Not only stand by, but live by. If you have principles, no one can possibly knock you down from certain platforms of thought. So I've taken this and made principles for myself. Things that I hold true to myself and if I'm ever caught letting go of said principles... it would seriously make me consider what the fuck I'm doin' here in the first place. And for my normal readers, we all know how much I think... be it day or night.

If there was one principle that I truly set myself by, which sort of came up tonight (but not to a great extent) is that if you're my friend... you can trust me. You can tell me anything and you can trust me with it. The Golden Rule stands (and should be the first principle I mention, but it isn't). If I said something to a friend in confidence, allow me to highlight in confidence, then I expect it to be in confidence. I would have confidence in the fact that said person wouldn't say what I said to them to the wrong channels. I concede the idea that even my best of friends are gonna chat a little... and maybe said issue would be a burning topic... but I would have confidence in them that they would say something that they'd have (or we'd share confidence in) so the wrong channels would not be informed of said conversation.

I believe in that wholly and completely, 'cuz I look at the consequences... and if there wasn't enough sitcoms on TV to teach consequences that when your friend comes back and says "So & so said that this person said that you said that I enjoy that sort of thing," it tracks back to you and you look like an ultimate prick, dick, asshole or any other vulgar useage of the English language you prefer. That doesn't sit well with me... geez, I have an uncomfortable feeling when the boss asks me if I went for lunch or not. Not all the time, but some times.

Now, I consider a few people my friends... and I would like to think that someday that some of these people can have the trust in me to make me a better friend. You never know, I might choose to dispel my troubles to them before I Blog it to the entire world one day and I might need one of these people to help me out. I would like to know that they trust in me the way I'd love to trust in them.

On the flip side of the coin, however... it is possible that a person that I don't like (which I probably have given signs of dislike to, but they're too dumb to figure it out) tells me a secret or two, which I would be a privvy to divulging to people of a "don't-need-to-know-basis," but even that's rare. It has sprung in front of me a couple times and to be fair, I think I've only spilled any beans if only when asked. I'm not an out and out gossiper... its not my thing. It's something I can't really stand.

I only really brought this up, 'cuz of a social situation tonight... one friend is having troubles and tells another friend without knowing that I was sitting there half-listening to the conversation... but nothing was divulged as a good friend would do. Trust certainly has to be earned these days, and I have a lot of respect for people who make you earn it. It means there is some principles in play... who am I to argue?