I have a PhD colleague who is an inexorable braggart. He manages to swing most conversations into odes to his greatness and lies about his achievements. After talking to him, you come away with the impression that there is nothing he doesn't think he is great at. Given that he is also horizontally challenged, he is quite the Billy Bunter figure. Most of us in the PhD room find him quite tiresome, but I think I have taken a special dislike to him.
For weeks, I tried to avoid him and keep our conversations quite short. My new DJ headphones have also been coming in handy. But since last week, I have been taking the piss out of him at every opportunity. To anyone less full of himself it would have been evident long back, but I think he is only now coming around to that realization. Most of my colleagues have begun to see him as a harmless poseur, but my dislike for him remains. My antipathy towards him is also eclipsing his good points. He is extremely focused, and I have never seen him idling or chit-chatting. When I was at that stage of my PhD, I spent a lot of time idling and chitchatting. And, while I don't understand his research or see the point of it, all of us in the PhD room are working in such different areas that we rarely discuss the technicalities of our work. I am still trying to put my finger on what about him gets my goat. We will never be fast friends, but surely I don't need to be filled with rage at the sight of him. One of my colleagues says his bragging must come from a place of deep insecurity and I replied that I really didn't care about his insecurities. We all have mental baggage, but the people around us don't deserve to be splashed by it. But, surely I can find a position of indifference, even if I will never feel affection for him?
I suppose one of my problems is I am indifferent to point of coldness towards people I don't consider my friends. But, I am civil towards them. Hopefully, I will be able to find an attitude of civil indifference towards this guy.
For weeks, I tried to avoid him and keep our conversations quite short. My new DJ headphones have also been coming in handy. But since last week, I have been taking the piss out of him at every opportunity. To anyone less full of himself it would have been evident long back, but I think he is only now coming around to that realization. Most of my colleagues have begun to see him as a harmless poseur, but my dislike for him remains. My antipathy towards him is also eclipsing his good points. He is extremely focused, and I have never seen him idling or chit-chatting. When I was at that stage of my PhD, I spent a lot of time idling and chitchatting. And, while I don't understand his research or see the point of it, all of us in the PhD room are working in such different areas that we rarely discuss the technicalities of our work. I am still trying to put my finger on what about him gets my goat. We will never be fast friends, but surely I don't need to be filled with rage at the sight of him. One of my colleagues says his bragging must come from a place of deep insecurity and I replied that I really didn't care about his insecurities. We all have mental baggage, but the people around us don't deserve to be splashed by it. But, surely I can find a position of indifference, even if I will never feel affection for him?
I suppose one of my problems is I am indifferent to point of coldness towards people I don't consider my friends. But, I am civil towards them. Hopefully, I will be able to find an attitude of civil indifference towards this guy.
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