Happiness is... being a sucker
My question is, when is one truly a "friar"? In Israel, people are obsessed with not being the so-called "friar." It means someone who is a sucker and a pushover. In Israel, you do whatever is necessary to make sure you don't come out the friar. This means that you push your way into a bank that is about to close, you cut your way in line and act indignant when someone calls you out on it, and you tell someone to kiss your ass if you have even the vaguest suspician that he or she is trying, has tried or might at some undetermined point in the future try to put one over on you. By American standards, these actions are obnoxious, but let me tell you, Israelis don't let people take advantage of them.
Let's just say this has been an acquired skill for me. I still feel guilty because someone asked me to do something and I dropped the ball, even though it was something that I had absolutely no obligation to do. This tendency has been self-perpetuating, because when I don't say no to something from the beginning, I get pushed into situations that I end up having to ditch altogether, screwing everyone over in the process. The story of my last job, in a nutshell.
Moral of the story? Be a bitch.
Or, you can take my route and start meditating so you can aspire to be a friar on purpose.
Let's just say this has been an acquired skill for me. I still feel guilty because someone asked me to do something and I dropped the ball, even though it was something that I had absolutely no obligation to do. This tendency has been self-perpetuating, because when I don't say no to something from the beginning, I get pushed into situations that I end up having to ditch altogether, screwing everyone over in the process. The story of my last job, in a nutshell.
Moral of the story? Be a bitch.
Or, you can take my route and start meditating so you can aspire to be a friar on purpose.