Obnoxious

Have you ever met someone who turns out to be someone so obnoxious and bull-headed that you wish you never crossed paths with them?  I'm not talking your typical stubbornness, but you're all-out, completely obsessive person who has blinders on to the world??  Usually it's a certain topic that sets them off... religion, politics, a constitutional right, the war, etc...

Everyone has their beliefs.  They all feel one way or another about something.  But most sane people are at least willing to listen to the other side.  They don't belittle the other side on contact and go off on a rant about their side of things.  So how does someone get to that point?  What makes them snap?  How do they get to the point of having blinders on?

It's one thing to vent about something you're not happy about, which I admit to doing all the time.  Sometimes, something will just set me off.  But even in the middle of a vent, I'll stop and listen.  Sometimes, that's what it takes to calm me down - someone on the other side speaking logically to me.  Not ranting back or saying things to belittle me, but actually bringing an intellegent outlook to the other side.  And if I feel myself getting to the obnoxious ranting level, I just stop and walk away.  It's not usually worth alienating people over, especially if it's a friend.

Healthly debate is good.  But you're not always going to be right, even if you don't want to admit it.  Soemtimes, there is not a right and wrong, as it's completely opinionated on both ends.  It is nice to be able to have an opinion and be able to voice it - that's a great thing about America.  But the key is that it is your opinion, and you can't always convince people your opinion is how others should feel.  And to start name calling or bashing someone's beliefs is just juvenille.  Let them have their opinion.

Personally, I've come across quite a few people like this is my lifetime.  I just learn to stear clear of certain topics, even if I agree, and everything's fine.  Probably just because I'm not a big fan of conflict.  Which is because I can have a temper... so I've learned the whole 'walk away' tactic to keep myself calm.  It may piss some people off when I blow off some debate or just some discussion... but bottom line, it's not worth losing a friend over.  And if it's a stranger, I walk away even faster... no telling what they might do! LOL