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Wdoes that mean? As there is pride, there is also confidence. And with pride, there can be a good and useful version of confidence, as well as an unhelpful version. In the case of this statement, the old term ‘bragging’ is used to denote the less helpful version of confidence. Bragging is when a person talks about what they can do, rather than doing it. The statement states that, if you can do it, and most especially when you do, it isn’t bragging. It is more a prediction, based on expectations and past performance. In short, the statement is saying that if you can do it, you can talk about it. If not, keep your mouth shut. It is short and sweet, and easy to understand.
THAT Why is limiting what you say to what you can do important?
Besides avoiding embarrassment and possible fights, you mean? Well, there is also the damage to your reputation and character, if you become a habitual braggart. Bragging, which is when you can’t back up your words with actions to match, is a form of lying, mixed with an unhealthy amount of ego or pride. Do you like being around people who say things, but don’t do them? Is it fun to listen to someone lie about things? Is it fun to hang around them or do things with them? Do you want to be that person, or do you think it would be better to stick to talking about what you can do? It doesn’t mean that every time you mention something, you have to immediately go out and do it. In the case of the statement, I am talking about the number of football games I and my younger brother would win over the course of a season. We beat the stated mark by almost 10 per cent. That’s backing it up, right?
What it does mean is keep an eye on your mouth, and to not let it write checks you can’t cash, right? In short, don’t say stupid things, don’t make stuff up, and be sure you can do
marks 10 years that I have been writing the South Skies column. I ask that you please indulge me for a bit of a different style this week.
In the past 10 years I’ve heard from people all over the country and all walks of life. I’ve received emails from bankers, night security guards, teachers, retired grandfathers, economists and parents. To those who have written to me, and those who have not but still read South Skies every week, thank you all for sharing the wonder of the sky with me. Now, an anecdote. On a dark night last week, I was at a gathering when I looked up at the Orion constellation and saw an intermittent flashing light. It seemed as high as the stars. It was not an aeroplane and it was not a normal satellite. When it was shining, it looked like a star. Except, its light kept going on and off.
A gentleman was standing on the grass near me, looking at his phone. I wanted someone else to see this, so I interrupted
ODAY
what you say you can do, because at some point, someone will request you prove that you can.
Where can I apply this in my life?
That would depend on how often you stretch the truth regarding what you are able to do, and how far you stretch it when you do. The less often you do it, and the less stretching you do, the less this statement applies to you. If you do it regularly, and really stretch it, you need to figure out why, and the quit it.This is generally something I don’t have any issues with, as I am generally not talkative in nature. Short answers, not getting all that involved.
TENDENCY
I also have a tendency to hedge my bets, saying things like “I’ll try that, and I hope to manage to accomplish (something).” Not really bragging, eh? One of the better ways to reduce bragging is to use the opposite, humility. If you can be humble, and not stretch the truth too far, it is far easier to keep from bragging. Self-control helps as well. Sometimes that will mean a little less to drink, to prevent your mouth from getting you in trouble. Perhaps taking your time, and considering more carefully what you are about to say will help. How often is a brag the result of a case of someone letting their mouth get ahead of their brain? It isn’t always the easiest him and pointed to the light in the sky.
‘Yeah, that is strange,’ he agreed. After a few minutes, the light in the sky went out for good. We then went through the list of what it could possibly be, but none seemed to fit. Except, maybe, that reliable old favourite of governments that never runs dry, “a weather balloon”. But even then, it seemed too high up.
PROBLEM
‘‘Dear Times of Eswatini...” the stranger beside me started up. “Well, that’s going to be a problem”, I said, “as I’m the one who writes the astronomy column, and I have no idea what that thing was!” He laughed. I laughed. We didn’t share names, but we shared something far more connecting: A mystery about the sky. And despite being thing to do, but if you can slow the pace of your interaction, you might buy yourself a little time. Reflect, then speak, right? Sometimes you can use a fake brag in such a way as to be humorous. In high school, several of us were learning to play golf, and one of the older guys was bragging and complaining about his score. His score was far higher than he was saying, but I wanted to call attention to it in a funny manner.
BRAGGING
I said I shot a 72. He said I was bragging, among other things. I replied that was on the back half of the course. It was also far closer to both of our scores than his bragging was. It got a laugh and I didn’t have to worry about being beat up. And in the process, I managed to make my point. We’ve talked about the down side of the statement, when you say more than you can actually do. Now I would like you to consider the opposite. What can you do, and do really well? What could you say which would sound like a brag, but that you would easily be able to accomplish?
It doesn’t hurt to boast a little about your abilities, when they are appropriate to the conversation. Just be sure you can back up your words with deeds. Amaze and dazzle people with your abilities, not your empty words and lies.
surrounded by people, no one else near to us had their attention turned in that direction at that moment in time, so the mystery was ours alone.
A lot of people have a story like this. Over the years, when people hear I love the stars and have a telescope, they tell me their stories of strange lights in the sky that they saw once, and never forgot.
I don’t know what all these stories amount to. I won’t say ‘aliens’, but I am also of the mind that ‘aliens’ cannot be ruled out.
I think there is a vast amount of knowledge that we humans are incapable of dealing with because we do not have the mental, emotional, spiritual and physical capacity to conceptualise, contextualise and interpret what can perceive.
So we end up perceiving only small bits of the fullness of what is out there. Too many people are uncomfortable with ambiguity, so they insist that all unexplained sights must have explanations that fit neatly within the boundaries of current scientific knowledge. Or, on the other extreme, their knowledge constructs are so loose, that to them all strange sights don’t have to fit into existing knowledge, but are used to create ideas and worlds that might not be there.
For me, that might mean that sometimes, it really is a weather balloon.
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