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14 May 2012

You are what you tweet….not really! On facelessness and the importance of losing face to save face…


You are what you tweet….not really! On facelessness and the importance of losing face to save face…

How easy is it to lose face?  - pretty easy if handled correctly!

Take mine for example – going, going…not gone yet, but perhaps by the end of this post…and am I alone? NOPE!

Think about it.

There are millions of us out there doing it every time we meet, I mean, tweet.

So, what’s the easiest way to avoid losing face?
Well, you could try not having one to lose in the first place, or put another way, being faceless.

Think about it.

If you’ve got no face to lose, you won’t lose face, right?

So, how does one remain faceless? Well, it’s all in how we express our facelessness and this is done in a variety of ways, but to me, facelessness is expressed in the things we do, or don’t do, in order to save face.

Rewind back to what I said earlier that if you’ve got no face to lose, you won’t lose face, well the same principal applies to saving face too – try not having a face in the first place, or if you have, try losing the face to save face…

In short, if face is expressed and defined by what we wear, eat, who we hang out with, a crucial way of expressing facelessness is in avoiding things that might make us stand out.

Think about what ‘I’m so not doing that!’ types don’t do while wearing the selected fashion of the ‘in-crowd’ they’re in so they blend agreeably in with their selected surroundings.

In such ways, facelessness is expressed at every facet of society, or at least seen as such by others.
It is expressed in how we act, or more to the point, how we don’t act – because remember, it’s a lot easier to save face by not having one in the first place, so not acting is the easiest way not to lose face.

Now think about who you'd least want to lose face with?
The answer would probably revolve around an ‘in-group’ of some description - one you either want to be in, or one you want to stay in.
You don't care much about losing face to people you don't give a damn about, do you?

For this reason, facelessness is ‘expressed’ in ways that don’t express and expressing, or in most cases not expressing, emotion is a great place to start.

Think about the last time you felt you were too friendly.
You probably felt stupid just because the other person didn’t respond in a like manner.
They were faceless and you felt you’d lost face – weird, isn’t it?

Because being faceless involves no, or not much expression of face, the faceless have the upper hand.

Think about the last time you went in somewhere to buy something, to eat, or to order a coffee.
Did you by any chance encounter an ignorant faceless member of staff who refused to engage in the basics of common courtesy?

Simply ignoring the existence of others is a good way of remaining faceless and avoiding losing face.

Think of the last time you held the door open for someone who in return chose not to offer so much as a ‘thank you’ because they’ve so got a life and you haven’t!

Bet you felt stupid then as well…

The worst type of faceless person is the one who doesn’t act to help others in need for fear of losing face – sometimes literally if helping others involves incapacitating their dagger wielding attacker…

So, are you a faceless person, or if not, would you be willing to become faceless in order to avoid losing face?

We are all important, but then there are the VIP ‘people-with-lives’ types who’ll EXPECT you to hold the door open as they rush to have their ear-lobes manicured by Rusty over in the Mall...

I never feel stupid when I do that!

Thanks for reading and all comments will be very much treasured!

J.D.


5 comments:

  1. Actually I had never thought of it this way, but you have expressed an interesting point of view.

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  2. Hi Lorca and thanks for your comment! I'm glad you found it interesting ; ) J.D.

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  3. I am so guilty regarding not acting on things! I need to work on that. Thanks for making me mull it over a bit in my brain.

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  4. Hi Jeri and thanks so much for your comment and I'm glad it's made you think!
    I'm the same sometimes and whenever it happens that I don't act, I feel empty and like I've let the side down.
    Still, good to know I'm not alone and there's always a next time to put it right ; )
    J.D.

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  5. Sorry, trying to catch up on your blog :)
    Interesting as always!! I strive to do my best, everyday. I will risk losing face, if it means doing the right thing. I'm just wired that way. Do I feel stupid? Sometimes. It's a risk I'm willing to take.
    Thanks for giving me food for thought.

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