This is the tale of Ruldophius, the most uninteresting man in the world.
(His acquaintances called him Rude for short…it fit)
Rude could ramble on forever and ever…about…himself.
He would look down on you without ever actually looking you in the eye and talk about what he had done and what he could do.
He was clearly smitten with self.
He had memorized a long list of his own strengths that he would proudly recite to anyone within listening distance. If you missed anything, stick around because it would be repeated at least twice.
If you uttered a thought or opinion, He would clear his throat, loudly suck his teeth, and correct you in the most condescending of manners.
He was clearly the most important person in the room…
any room.
He was an expert on everything.
He knew…
every
little
thing
About…
every
little
thing.
There was a point, when he was 23 years old, that he just stopped learning. There was no need for more knowledge. He had it all figured out. He had the answers. He realized that his brain had reached its considerable capacity. He was an early bloomer, so He became a master “one upper”. No matter what anyone else had done, he could one up you with something a little bigger and more important.
Conversation was a competitive sport.
His goal was to always prove that he was right and if you dared to disagree, you were clearly wrong.
He wore his rightness around like a new shirt.
Dogma on display.
It all came naturally.
He was just doing what he was told.
All of his life, his mom had told him that he was the center of the universe.
So, he just acted and expected accordingly.
But, this life lead to all kinds of uninterestingness.
You see, the problem is that stories aren’t meant to be solo.
The best stories involve lots of people.
If you only talk about yourself, you lose the plot.
Preoccupation with self leads to a predisposition towards being really, really boring.
Your life can be frightfully uninteresting when you don’t let others be a part of your story.
AND, being honest about who you are AND aren’t opens you up to a bigger story.
Vulnerability creates relatability.
Live a story bigger than you!
The moral of this fable should be quite clear…
Don’t be Rude.
carbonated joy 