Two Sides of the Coin

I think I may have discovered my gifting.  Making the easy look hard.  Anyway.  That is by the by.
I never cease to be amazed how often people attribute their motives to me.  It is really only when they get to know me that differences may appear.  That can be a good thing though.  It may be a quality I want or am working towards.  It is a bit of a generalization and definitely not true in all cases, but it is in some.  I hear people speak disparagingly of another and so often what is being pulled down is one of their attributes.
I will never forget a guy at work over 40 years ago declaring “never assume.”  To me that is such good advice.  For me probably the worst thing I can do is take a position before getting the full picture.  I will never get a full picture from one.  I will get their picture.  I need to combine that with others before I can form a picture of my own.  It still may only be a partial one but is built on more than one person’s view.  To me it does not matter how well meaning that person may be or how on top of things they are.  Until I have established something for myself, I am flying blind and acting on hearsay that may come back to bite.
To me it is particularly dangerous to adopt a person’s position when the person is self-absorbed.  If they are renowned for spruking an opinion that is their own only and not necessarily built on facts from a number of sources, then I do well to treat what is said with a grain of salt.
I will always attempt not to cause offence, but it behoves me to investigate a matter before making a claim.
Sometimes I write here about things that are new to me.  I will never state something without having looked into it first.  I may still be wrong, but at least it is sincerely wrong.  At best there is nothing to be gained by giving my opinion only (apart from perhaps a temporary reprieve or victory) and at worst, acting on my advice could be bad for another (this is theory only because of course I am always right).
The way I am means I find it is important to respect authority even if I agree with them or not.  I was embarrassed by the behaviour of one of our politicians when the President of the US visited.  I may not respect the person, but I do respect the office.  For the police it tends to be "yes sir."  They represent an authority I do well to respect.  I am not into bad mouthing or pulling down anyone, and I can sure come out the worst if I give them a hard time.  I believe there is a way to point out error without denigrating.  Besides, that to me is shooting the messenger.
Whatever the case I find the best way to make a point is respectfully.  Expectations of me may differ, but I can only be me.