Oops, I did it again

One of the non-Franciscan parts of my nature is that I'm an argumentative sort. I constantly shoot off my mouth and get into disputes. But I not only dispute, I keep pushing, aggressively.

The most recent flap involved a haiku group I belong to.

A haiku dispute??

Actually, people get pretty intense when it comes to haiku. Groups have split over arcane points. People have avoided speaking to each other for years!

Then again, religious orders have split over whether to wear sandals or not!

But this most recent dispute - one in a long series in my less-than illustrious career - involved the use of foul language.

I don't like it. It bothers me. But instead of simply asking nicely if people could find better ways to express themselves, I wrote some sarcastic haiku.

Blow up. Foul language flying. Name calling.

What did I expect, really?

I quit the group - another in the long list of groups I've quit in disputes. It's happened in jobs, too. And with friends. I just keep shooting off my mouth, antagonizing people, getting myself in trouble, not knowing when to stop (or rather, keep going when I know I should stop).

Of course, given the nature of arts groups, even if I'd asked politely, I probably would have been shot down. But I would have behaved more honorably.

I also set myself up sometimes by joining groups that might lead into disputes of this sort. Poets, writers, artists, theater groups tend to attract colorful passionate people.

So I left the group for now. Maybe when the dust settles I'll rejoin.

But I need to work on that prickly part of my nature.

Pax et bonum