temperament – Sillyfrog's Blog

Yesterday, I brought up a video during a conversation that had impacted my understanding of people many years ago. I was talking with my mother and sister. I’ve always had the feeling that we each found the other’s temperament a little ‘off putting’.

If you have 20 minutes to give the video below, it may help you to understand others better. That odd, ‘off balance’, feeling we can have even with people we love (and/or like) might have an explanation. [The video is quite entertaining too!]

People are FAR more than their temperaments, but our temperaments are quite a baseline measure of how we approach life.
The varying approaches of individuals are fascinating, often maddening, to us. It’s nice to consider that we aren’t just ‘doing it wrong’. We may be approaching everything with different expectations.

I think this guy (Mark Gungor) pretty much nails down the ways we vary by temperament.
I was a person from “Fun Country” sitting in the same room with my sister, from “Peace Country” and my mother, from “Perfect Country”. [BTW… I married a man from “Control Country”.]

If asked, I believe we would all admit that we’ve had moments when our understanding of each other was strained. Recognizing our differences at the elemental temperamental level gives me a better plan for making myself understood to them… and behaving more patiently while trying to understand them.

So, I ask, “Might our temperaments cause misunderstanding?”

I think so. Enjoy!

Thanks to Rory for today’s questions!

What is the best way to cook an egg, and what is your favourite egg dish?

I never met an egg I didn’t like. Since “variety is the spice of life”, surprise me any time with the preparation.
My most frequently chosen method of ordering eggs at a restaurant, is either a spinach, egg, mushroom and cheese omelet or eggs benedict. As for home, ‘over easy’ with bacon and fruit on the side. There’s something about a salty and sweet presentation in a meal that’s dreamy, delicious.

What makes for a good listener, and are you one, or do you only hear people as noise?

I don’t like crowds, but I do like individuals. My favorite conversations are the ‘one on one’ kind. I spend a lot of time in a solitary existence while ‘thinking’ which sometimes causes me to ‘spill over’ when someone engages with me. This is something I’m hoping to tame. I so dearly hope to be heard yet sometimes I fail to listen. I am usually way ahead of others in the natural thought progression on a topic because I’ve already thought about most basic questions and have answers. But I really need to bite my tongue more and listen to others. My preplanned/pre-thought retorts are not received well, and I do want other people to feel ‘heard’ too. I’m working on it. Wish me luck!

How well can you control your emotions, and is it hard to keep them in check with moments and times when you feel passionate or angry with others or situations?

I’ve been accused of being nearly impossible to insult. Somewhere along the way in my life of learning, I realized that “losing one’s cool” offers nothing good. If there’s a life-threatening emergency, those who panic often are more likely to die. If someone is trying to get ‘under your skin’, allowing them to get what they want is foolish. If someone is behaving irrationally, they may just be asking for or in need of some help. The only time you don’t want to ‘test me’ is if there’s any instance of an elderly person, animal, or child, being abused. Let me just say, don’t make me that kind of angry, you won’t like what happens.
Having said all of that…I’m sure the temperaments we are born with actually rule our reactions most. 😉

Is it necessary for you to be remembered by others for your contribution to life?

During my career of caring for children, this question occurred to me. I believe anyone who mentors children has a deep desire to be remembered. But I don’t think it’s my name that I want remembered, it’s about those inspirational positive moments when I made an impression on them that they will (hopefully) carry to their children, and so on. Having and/or raising children, IMHO, is the most important thing anyone can do to positively impact the future.

https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/01/22/a-wild-aloha-to-you-4/