1) So, I apologized to someone. They were an insanely far left “Trump is going to destroy the country” “Kavanaugh’s damage in the SCOTUS will take 100 years to fix” socialist Democrat type.
2) I’ll keep the background reasonable. It all was a circle of drama around these 3 tanks. 
3) To my fellow warhammer nerds: yes, those are Forgeworld tanks. To non-warhammer types; no, I’m not telling you how much I paid for them or to have them painted lmfao
4) Long story short, I paid the far lefty a lot of money to have them painted and invested a significant amount of trust in sending them to him. He could have easily sold them off and bought cheap china-cast copies, or just blocked me and not talked to me ever.
5) What was initially a 2 week project stretched out for 3 months. Forest fires damaging his local air quality, the stress of life and family illness delayed him, caused him to miss deadlines he himself set to finish the project I had paid him 100% up front to help with bills etc
6) After 3 months without even a progress photo... well, a little gremlin burrowed its way into the back of my head. “He’s leading you on,” it said. “He’s bilking you,” it said. “He spent the money you sent him to have the models shipped back,” it hissed.
7) A 2 week project turning into a 3 month project, well, I felt slighted. I had every right to feel that way! I had gotten no status updates besides, “Sorry, no progress,” and the excuses were starting to wear thin.
8) So... I broke. I sent a very terse message. I told him I was tired of waiting, and to send the models back. I had seen him working on other hobby projects in his livestreams and such. I felt that I had been deprioritized.
9) The response back was quite verbose and vitriolic, and he swore he was going to finish the models even if it hairlipped the fucking devil and have them sent back immediately, because damnit he was going to finish the fucking job I paid him for.
10) This was him threatening to finish the work, not me demanding it keep in mind.
11) Within 2 days the models were finished and he gave me a tracking number, as promised, with a vow that we would never speak again.
12) I had been friends with this guy for over a decade, as a side note. He was unaware of my political leanings, and I endured his political rants in good humor, and mayyyy have dropped a few well sourced facts on him about his heroes Bernie Sanders, Dianne Feinstein, etc.
13) Regardless, upon seeing the tanks, I realized...
We were both being fucking STUPID.
We were both being fucking STUPID.
14) He had been 2 1/2 months late on a project I paid him in advance from, sure.
I had sent a message that in every other circumstance would have resulted in me getting completely hosed on the spot.
I had sent a message that in every other circumstance would have resulted in me getting completely hosed on the spot.
15) So what in the FLYING FUCK was I still doing being mad at this guy for?
16) So... I apologized.
17) And then he apologized back.
Because that’s how being human works.
When there is a quarrel, someone needs to extend an olive branch, and the other person needs to accept it.
Because that’s how being human works.
When there is a quarrel, someone needs to extend an olive branch, and the other person needs to accept it.
18) It is perfectly fine to be the one who breaks and apologizes first.
19) Because, see, then, you have first movers advantage.
You have ante’d up. By apologizing first, you are saying, “I am human. I am extending the olive branch. Talk to me, lets end this fight.”
You have ante’d up. By apologizing first, you are saying, “I am human. I am extending the olive branch. Talk to me, lets end this fight.”
20) You bet your ass you do.
21) Your opposite has 2 options when they see the apology.
The first is to return the apology. They match you, they call the ante so to speak, and from there, you two have the ability to speak to each other as equals to resolve things, even if its just an “Ok, cool. We’re cool.”
The first is to return the apology. They match you, they call the ante so to speak, and from there, you two have the ability to speak to each other as equals to resolve things, even if its just an “Ok, cool. We’re cool.”
22) The second is for your opponent to take your apology, and fucking BREAK THE OLIVE BRANCH.
Maybe they lord the apology over you. Maybe they declare victory. Maybe they slap it away and continue to hate you.
Maybe they lord the apology over you. Maybe they declare victory. Maybe they slap it away and continue to hate you.
23) They have proven then that they are no longer human.
If that is the case... DESTROY THEM.
If that is the case... DESTROY THEM.
24) In 3 months the midterms will pass. Either the Dems will win, or the GOP will win.
25) Either way, a large part of the population will remain devoted to the side opposite of us. There will be anger and resentment. There will be hatred. They will never see our side of the argument.
26) But this fight is fucking stupid. We’re all on Twitter. We see every day the trends and hashtag promoted by a dying media and corrupted officials pitting us against each other for no purpose, for no gain. No argument on the internet ever results in a win for anyone. Period.
27) At the end of the day, we have to prove we are still human. We have to give the other side the opportunity to prove that they too are still human. We have to shut out the jackasses on high pitting us against each other and just TALK to each other as humans.
/end
