It is reasonable to assume that there are two sets of persons in our midst.
A person, to simplify, is either interesting or average.
There will be quite a debate on this topic as those who will be touched will either cringe or amusingly give out a belly laugh if they feel they are alluded to.
Pardon me but allow me to use the generic noun (he or man) as the collective term for both genders. I am not a chauvinist pig that you may conjure of but I hope you do get it.
First off, a man is interesting if he commands respect, captivate and inspire people. He speaks spontaneously from the heart. He is not boxed by the traditional conservative thinking nor by the radical neo-liberal mindset that now permeates the air.
A man is interesting if he can lead and revolutionize ideas, building from the ground up.
He captures the rapt attention of his audience by breaking through the sheen of hypocrisy, tells the stark reality in plain language looking straight into people’s eyes.
He is also a good listener. An interesting person intrigues you with his quiet yet positive demeanor. He does not pretend he is lending you his ears. He responds with logical replies because he has digested what – you – the other person stated.
An interesting person is a man of wit and humor, not the toilet or gutter type. He uses the figures of speech available, mostly employing satire and irony. You should be ready to explode when the punch line hits you.
He will call a spade a spade. No matter who gets hurt, an interesting person will blurt out the truth so that his target audience – the people – will know. He does not hide behind somebody’s skirts and use an alias to be anonymous.
An interesting person is brave and bold. He means what he says and says what he means. He will not make excuses nor alibis to escape the blame. He will take the blame for his actions, including the consequences when things go wrong.
He is not fastidious. What he wears or what he eats. He loves the company of simple folks. He does not desire VIP treatment. He is what he is.
An interesting person is emotionally stable, mature and disciplined. He minces no words and will be a very good friend. He may also be the worst enemy.
Interesting people are somewhat a rarity.
On the other hand, everything about the traits of the interesting person is the opposite of the average man.
He is dull. He is very careful with his words because he does not want to commit any error. As somebody said: “less talk, less mistakes.” Thus, he gropes for words and stammers.
He does not come out in front to volunteer the truth. He would rather let others explode the truth because this average person might not be able to defend the same.
In short, he does not take the cudgels because he is not man enough to consistently sustain his position. He is a confused man because he does not know whereof he stands on issues.
Wit and humor are not among his qualities because the average person would opt to sit and become part of the audience than someone who takes center stage to entertain or educate those before him.
An average person cannot be relied upon. Afraid to take risks, he will point to another person to take responsibility and assume the chores while he would rather say: “I am behind you.”
An average person will finger-point to elude the blame. He cannot see people straight in the eyes.
An average person is a happy-go-lucky guy. He will choose only the tasks he can comfortably achieve and render so that if credits are to be accorded, he will surely be recognized.
An average person always plays safe and refuses to take risks.
As interesting people are a rarity, so average persons are a dime a dozen. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) Is. 35:10: “Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.” GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
