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We were having dinner, my friends and I, when one of them came out with a rather profound statement I’d like to share with you. Now, you don’t know my friend Spooge but trust me: he’s not given to profound statements, even after some very good wine. However, the situation damn near forced him to dig deeply, and, as you’ll see, he did.
We were chatting about a fellow he knew who had behaved badly. This guy had used some long-term personal relationships to act on behalf of people who were not really on the up and up. His acquaintance had done so because he was doing what he could to ingratiate himself with these low-lifes with an eye toward employment. In the process of doing so, he alienated a couple of guys – my friends – who saw right through him. Intrigued?“Desperation is a stinky cologne,” Spooge said. Yes, it’s a quote from Super Troopers, a pretty forgettable movie, but I know what he means. Smart people often do dumb things and emit a stench when they act in desperation. We’ve all been there at some point: we need that next deal, that next job, that brighter tomorrow. Under those circumstances sometimes we do something we know is wrong but desperation clouds our thinking.
I heard of another guy today who did something similar. I can’t really share the details other than he did something profoundly dumb with a former employer out of some form of desperation. I have no clue what he was thinking but it cost him a really good job. It’s a stinky cologne.
So here’s the point: no matter how bad things look or feel, we can’t let the desperation we may be feeling cause us to dab on that stinky air. People around us sniff it and even those who’ve known us for years run away. There is nothing wrong with asking for help or opening up to friends. Acting against the bonds that have made us worthy of being someone’s friend in the first place , however, is something completely different.
Smelled that cologne on someone? What did you think?
Consult Keith 