Shielding Inadequacy

Someone observed that I'd done something very skillfully, and immediately—and not at all amiably—complained that I'd made them feel inadequate.

I didn't take the bait, having been entirely weaned off bait. Instead, I briefly surveyed this person, realizing they've never done much of anything or been good at anything. And it's no crime. Accomplishment is merely a side dish (perhaps a sauce?), not the real meal. But it seems odd to go through life shielding inadequacy—so accomplishment must be terribly important to them!—without ever bothering to get good at anything.

And then I realized they didn’t have time. They were too busy shielding inadequacy.


See also "Billions, Millions, Thousands"