Discussion»Questions»Human Behavior» When you know someone is humbugging with politeness or flattery, do you ignore it and respond politely, or do you call them on it?
Unless I am really flying off the chandeliers, I respond politely. I would not do anything intentionally to hurt anyone or call them on their behavior. If they were endangering themselves or someone else, I would but being humbug, no.
That'll set me thinking about how - because for me, I can't enjoy something that I know is insincere. For me, it's a relief when I'm no longer in the humbugger's company, and I'll tend to avoid them thereafter.
I am think of OK I know I am not beautiful or smart though will lay claim to some amount of intelligence and common sense. But I love to here I am beautiful, or pretty, sexy, and how smart I am. Because it makes me feel I matter whether sincere or insincere I react positively at just the notion. Which is of course is just what people can use to pull us into whatever. So we can enjoy it but we also have to see through it!
I think I can understand it. It's a bit like the way we appreciate that someone has given us a birthday gift even if we think it's useless or ugly because we appreciate that they meant well; you go below the surface of the words and listen to the person's loving intentions.
When I think of it that way, it comes across as a very nice way of being.
Merlin 