I ran into an old friend last night at the bar and we talked about life, war, China, and, of course, my being sick of being a nice guy (lots of Jim Beam will turn conversation that way). In any case, he said something that makes a lot of sense...that maybe it's not so much my being a nice guy that's so bad, but the fact that I'm not firm. I mean, I have a tendency to pussy-foot my way through life, tip-toeing through the tulips and walking on eggshells all the time trying not to offend or make others uncomfortable or letting my niceness be anything but nice. But that's not really necessary. Really.

I've always readily admitted that I'm over sensitive to other peoples' feelings and have a huge guilt complex when it comes to negatively impacting other peoples' lives in any way through my actions. That's too nice. I mean, if my actions are always the result of my caring and in adherence to the Good, then that is good enough. If someone is hurt by it, or made uncomfortable, that's their problem. They might be mad at me for pointing out the truth to them, or not acting in a way that they expect, or be confused by my so-not-complex-that-it-appears-complex personality, but after they simmer down most people, especially the good ones -- the only ones that I care to have around -- will appreciate my niceness and draw them closer to me. No?

In any case, it makes sense to me. So I get to, thankfully, quit this bullshit with trying to not be a nice guy and, instead work on being more like myself.