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Becoming A Considerate But Judgmental Person
The Self-Awareness Trap
Introduction
I have a cache of embarrassing stories that I occasionally pull from to stir laughter.
Most of these anecdotes come from a time when I was filled with a sense of invincible hubris.
Let me now dig up one of these stories for our entertainment and reflection.
Sweaty Pits
As a child, I was painfully shy. My mother wanted me to live confidently and to break free from excessive self-inhibition.
Whenever I was confronted with any shred of self-doubt/self-consciousness, she would encourage me with her words of wisdom — “Trust me Denise, no one cares; So you shouldn’t too.”
And that was the principle by which I operated.
In the second year of my undergrad studies, I wore a muddy beige blouse to school. It was a hot day and I had taken a long walk from the Arts canteen to the Food Science laboratory.
Understandably, I had sweated considerably under my armpits. The muddy beige blouse was pretty much the most unforgiving garment anyone could wear. I had developed two large sweaty pit stains on my blouse.
