During my senior government class in high school, we held a mock trail. We went full out, some of us were lawyers, reporters, defendants (that was me), judges, etc. I loved it! It was so fun to learn about the process of a court proceeding, and I loved the way it made me think. I walked away from that class seriously considering going into law. Then reality hit me and I quickly learned I was not cut out to be a lawyer. Here are some of the reasons why:
1- I HATE DEBATE! That right there pretty much killed this dream before it took off. There is nothing more annoying to me than watching Fox News when they interview a panel of guests. These panels are meant to "debate" a topic, which I think any viewer would agree with me that it is really a contest to see who can talk (or yell) just loud enough to drown out the others.
2- I have very strong opinions. This one might come as shocker to a lot of people (or maybe not, maybe I'm not as quiet and gentle as I think I am), but I hate disagreeing with people because honestly, I'm always right. At least that is how it goes in my head. Now this wouldn't be a problem if I were an open minded person, but I'm not. When someone disagrees with me, I get angry because I know that I am right, and they are therefore a moron.
3- When I get angry, I tend to cry. It's true, ask anyone who has seen me really angry. I think when God made me, He forgot to separate my emotional wires from my anger wires. This could be a potential problem if I were loosing a case in the court room.
4- I cannot argue with someone in person. This is actually something that I've realized recently. When our 5th cable box (in 3 1/2 months) started acting up like all the others, and I called into our cable company to chew someone out, I actually did it! How did this happen? I was on the phone with the person and couldn't see their face. It worked out great since they upgraded us to an HD box for free (for 6 months of course). But this never would have happened if I had to go into their office for this discussion. I mean, I was really really unkind. Well, maybe stubborn is a better word. But if I were to want to yell at my parents growing up, I'd open my mouth and say something like "You're Stupid!!!" (with a lot of anger behind it, while on the verge of tears). This knowledge has been useful in my life though, Shawn and I never really fight (because I know I am incapable), and I never argued with my parents (because I always started crying before I got that far).
And last but not least- When I think I have a good point to make, I get it all figured out in my head, and it sounds so good. As I think about it more and more, I know that this is something that they cannot deny, this will really stump them. Then I open my mouth and try to say it. Honestly, I really believe that for some people, people like me, when you open your mouth, your thoughts really do fly away. I know that is what happens, because I always have a really good point, and then second I try to vocalize them, poof! They're gone. This isn't just with arguments either. It's common in everyday conversations (so I often find myself feeling really really stupid), and it's definitely show up for an attempted wedding toast (sorry Krista, I really had so many sweet, and good things to say about you).
So just in case you ever wanted to know, or really cared at all, I will never be going into law. I think this post (while totally useless to everyone who reads it) just might explain myself to some friends and associates. I'd be surprised if there is a person out there who hasn't spent a moment with me where they ask themselves "huh?". Just know that I am aware of this, but really I'm just so smart that I'm socially awkward.
Wickhams
11 years ago