Can I Talk?

Sometimes things happen and you know you should probably stand aside and just let others duke it out. How most people view things is from wherever they are standing. 5 years ago or so, I had several run-ins with a guy at work. To me, it seemed that I had to walk on egg shells with this guy. We had frequent disagreements that eventually led to both of us having separate meetings with the HR department. At the center of it was the final argument we had with each other. One that led him to tell another co-worker that he was very close to "hitting me". Had I not walked away during our argument, he would have done that. After these meetings with HR, this guy and I only spoke to each other when we absolutely had to. It was a sad situation. He was fired shortly afterwards for missing too much time at work. We never resolved our situation. I learned many years ago, that it's not possible to get along with everyone. As soon as I realized that, the better off I was. I was trying my hardest to get along with people who seemed to make it very hard for me to get along with them. The thing is, all of us have good sides, it's up to us to decide whether we show this side to everybody we meet in life or a just a few selected people. It's all about the relationships you have with people. Some people can be witty and charming with friends and the exact opposite with others.
I recently saw Andy Dick on that reality show "Sober House". I have long thought that he was an ass. However, on the show I saw him on he was very open and sincere about his drug and alcohol abuse. I thought to myself, "He seems like a pretty good guy. Was it the drugs and alcohol that turned him into an ass?" I actually found myself to be rooting for him in his battle for sobriety. I also thought that tennis player Andre Agassi was kind of an ass. The problem was that the media and others had created this image of a rebel for Agassi. I read the article about how Agassi had tried his best to woo Steffi Graf. Much of his efforts to woo her had him desperately trying to show her that he was not the man that he was being portrayed as in the media. He wasn't. Not even close. At the time of Agassi's retirement he was a very respected man. I thought to myself one time, "If I were half the man that Agassi is now, I'd be a pretty great guy."
A few years ago, I witnessed the downfall of someone on the internet. Someone who I thought was a phony. It all happened out of the blue. But, I wasn't the only one who had ill feelings toward this person. Some people liked this person, some were neutral, but many had tired of this person along time ago. His downfall was swift. It seemed to happen out of nowhere. But, his presence has not been missed since that time. As The Temptations said to David Ruffin, "No one is bigger than the group!" This has happened again recently. My feeling is the same as it was with the other guy. Except replace the word "phony" with "jerk". Sometimes, there is a point of no return. A time when you say, "I don't care what other people say. I think you are a jerk and my opinion of you is not going to change, until you give me a reason to change it." That's how I feel tonight.