Sharks And Dolphins

There are two kinds of people in this world my friend: Sharks and dolphins. Now that the season of the touchy/soft feelings is over I'd like to get serious here and explore my own brand of psychology that I had mastered over the years and that I find insightful when employed in relating with people.

Here you may identify with my threads of thought, recognize familiar lines of reasoning or discover a novel idea you have not thought of before. Whatever the case, here is the world from the way I see it. Simplified of course.

NOTE: I eschewed 'fuzzy logic' here for simplicity sake. Such clear-cut, black or white stereotypes do not exist for real but indulge me for this moment.

Shark Attack

The real ocean monstrous sharks are said to be generally cautious or even shy away from human encounters in its natural environment under normal circumstances. However, they are said to be viciously attracted to the scent of blood which to it implies/signals an injured and therefore a weak and an easy prey. The human analogue behaves similarly but instead are drawn to the signs of perceived weaknesses in fellow humans. In other words, they are hard-wired to jump to the 'advantage', thus using others 'weaknesses' to push themselves up or make themselves appear strong.

They are the ones that would blow up your mistakes soonest to the boss in order to hasten their own advancement. They are the types that would so eagerly point out your errors in public with a heightened tone of voice and repetitive emphasis just to score cheap points. They are always very vocal, would hardly admit to their own mistakes (are afraid of their own weapon being used against them) and strongly defend their own positions. You would prefer them on your side but not as your opposition.

Winning always is very important to them. They are very protective of their ego, while those of others are easily sacrificed. They believe the world is largely a competitive place therefore for them to win others must lose.

Saint Dolphin

The real ocean dolphins are claimed to assist/guide/lead lost-at-seas to safety. The veracity of this claim I do not know, but true or not the symbolism is ideal for my purpose here. Their attitude toward perceived weakness is to help.

The human analogue behaves like wise, and at worse would never want to take advantage. They would keep your secret and may even take it to the grave if need be. At their best they would cover for you and instead promote your strengths.

They are generally self-satisfied and don't feel it necessary to get on top of you to get ahead. They believe in cooperation rather than competition. They believe there is enough of most things to get around, that is, it's a win-win world.

They would forgoes scoring cheap points on your errors and shortcomings rather than cause you a public embarrassment. Inner peace is more important to them than winning.

Search-light And Reflection

Now you may try this: From now on try fitting people you interact with into either of these two personality profiles. Be conscious of their reactions to your weaknesses or weak moments. People may not fit smugly into a particular 'mold', but their predominant inclination would give you a clue as to where to fit them.

Now examine your own self. Where would you fit yourself? Honestly? We may not be objective when assessing ourselves but for a moment consider where others you relate with would tend to fit you in this inflexible black and white scale. Then ponder the implication: Shark or Dolphin?