Our
Fear of Conflict
Back
in the '70s, I was a young,
selfish street thug. But I also knew that something was wrong with my
approach to life. Getting into a lot of fights was a clue. While it
sometimes seemed like trouble would go out of its way to find me, I had
a strong suspicion what I was doing might have a hand in the results.
Fortunately,
I also liked to read. So I figured maybe that could help me with the
other. One of the books I read was How to Win Friends and Influence
People by Dale Carnegie.
It
changed my life.
Now
granted it took a few decades before I could pull my head out of my ass
enough to truly apply the principles. Still, not just in the end, but
all along the process; this cheesy titled book, written in 1936, turned
me on to effective ways for positively dealing with people.
Kind
of important because often the people I was dealing with would shoot
you in the face for fucking with them.
Usually
when someone says something's a 'lifesaver,' it's a bit hyperbolic. Not
this time. Thi