More on WYSIWYG - or rather WYSINAWYG

I was talking to Rob last night about my post WYSIWYG last night and he pointed out that he was not sure that I had managed to get the point across the point of the whole post.  So with that in mind here goes

A lot of the time people make assumptions and judgements about people in the first few moments of meeting them.  We all do this and we are especially prone to doing it when we want people to match the ideals we have of them.  I guess the most likely occurrence of this is when we see people in film and TV shows.  I mean there are a lot of people that consider themselves fans of certain celebrities based on what they have seen them do on the TV or a role that they have played in some show at some time. 

These shows and characters are no more a true reflection of the individual than the masks that we present to people on a daily basis.  There may be some element of the character that reflects a personality trait held by the individual but it is not the whole story.  A case in point for me was a conversation I had a few months ago when I was talking about Christmas and how much I like it.  A colleague seemed amazed that I would be such a fan of the festive season as I did not come across as someone who would like it.  Just goes to show that what you think you know, may not actually be the full picture.

Now back to the point - the two guys I mentioned in the earlier post Jason Miller and Evan Tanner.  Both of these gentlemen have blogs that they update quite regularly to let people know what is happening with them and any thoughts that they may have. 

The interesting thing about blogs is that people will often tell you things that they may not when they are face to face with you (- something to do with the relative anonymity of the method of communication I guess) and a case in point have been a couple of entries that these guys have posted that have really made me think about life in general and the way that I approach things.

A lot of people when they see you looking at an MMA or fighter sight often come out with one of 2 stock responses (a) What the hell is that, man it looks brutal or (b) why do you have sweaty semi clad men on your screen.  There is not a lot that can be said in response to b other than - Well why not but a is much easier to answer.  The belief that anyone who takes part in MMA must be brutal is not true.  In the same way that we all have jobs, fighting is just what these guys do and is a part of their psyche but it is not all they are.  A really good case of where WYSIWYG is more a case WYSINAWYG (what you see is not always what you get).

Take both Mr Miller and Mr Tanner.  Both of these gentlemen have had issues that they have had to work through, the only difference is that because in some circles they are well known, some of the working out has had to occur in the public eye. 

Miller in particular has talked about some issues he has been working through and a couple of his posts really made me smile.   The holidays are always hard, is actually a hard post to read.  It is moving and very thought provoking as mayhem talks about some tough learning experiences he has been through - it really does make you think.  You should also take a look at the Late Registration blog for much the same reason.  The same thing can be said for Even Tanners blogs on his myspace page.  These guys are not all doom and gloom and serious thoughts - Mayhem regularly makes me laugh my a$$ off with some of his posts, but this is only a part of what they are.

Anyway - what I was trying to say originally was this.  No matter who you are,  or what you do, remember life is never as simple as it seems.  What you see is not always what you get - guess it just took a long time to get there.