Steph Marinelli ’25, Managing Editor
My personal philosophy has always been “tell the absolute truth no matter how painful it is.” But I’m starting to think maybe that’s not the best way of going about things. You see, I’m not an emotionally-driven person. Now, this doesn’t mean I’m a robot (at least, I think so), but I’m just more logical when it comes to any type of decision making. If someone were to give me feedback, I would appreciate in-depth and lengthy critiques, over a few sentences that’ll save my ego. In my eyes, absorbing every single ounce of information for what it is can only serve me in the end.
But not everybody else thinks like me. And that’s the problem.
I’ve been told that I come across as cold, intimidating, and even, dare I say it, mean, because I simply want the best for those around me! Believe me, if I wanted to be mean, I would. I don’t try to be “nit-picky” out of hate or pettiness, I truly just want my peers to SUCCEED. And I wonder why no one ever wanted to be my partner for peer review sessions.
Nonetheless, this tends to be one of my greatest flaws as an individual. Because what exactly is the truth? Is it opinion? Is it fact? Can fact be based on an opinion? When I tell someone what I think, or what I heard, has it not been confabulated? Am I really doing this person a favor, or am I potentially killing their confidence?
As an overthinker, I should know better than to act like this. There must be a balance between saying what needs to be said, and what needs to be heard.
