Now for the infrequent plantless post: Travel: The Cynic's Survey #1

I'm tired of being nice, today.
The habit of being friendly to everyone does backfire.
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Max Ehmann, in the Desiderata, writes "and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story", but ever complete, he writes: "Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit."  Someone older and wiser will have to explain the difference to me, for:

Riddle me this: why do I attract you: The philosophical and friendly gentlemen armed with a massive bowel of constipated soapboxing? It's always at cafes when I am reading, every single time.  Do I have a birthmark on my forehead which is accidentally Chinese for "I will listen to your eloquent and well-developed self-aggrandising thesis; please feel free to talk my ear off for literally 45 minutes, telling me my race is underdeveloped, working as a soapboxer will, with literally one or two facts about me personally, and assuming, I assume, the rest." Were these two facts the undoing of the social boundary you flooded over? Last time, sir, you were Mr. The-Beatles-Said-it-All-&-Reality-is-Only-Perception-for-one-point-five-hours, because you saw the cactus book I was reading.  Yesterday, you were David, refusing my request of your Chinese name because I, a dumb American, surely couldn't handle it: "No, no, no, too hard for you, " you said, conversationally.

Now, clearly, if you are intelligent enough to prepare such a lecture, you should be intelligent enough to know when you are rude and respectless to your fellow human beings.  I notice you are always a man; is your ego blooming in the warm greenhouse of a society which is less apt to put you in check when you are stepping on other's toes?

Next time, Captain Soapbox, I'll be ready; armed with my own small but nails-outward soapbox wrapped up all beatifully, all tiramisu, and just for you.

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It has been my sin to allow the aggressive a free round of punches against humanity, in the safe environ of coffeeshop talk.
I am tired of being nice.