Sarcasm

There are people that revel in the sarcastic or “snarky” sense of humor. Whether it be in the context of personal or professional relationships it’s often delicate when the entertainment is at the expense of another.

The idea is that it’s all in “good fun.”  It’s not hard to recognize how that well intentioned fun often isn’t.  The most sarcastic people are often leveraging the snark to avoid moving toward more meaningful communication and relationships that reside beneath the surface.  They are missing out. Taking the easy route that frankly, just isn’t all that interesting.

Being impeccable with your word is the first of The Four Agreements. The powerful idea (and one of my favorite books) is simple in concept:  “Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.”

Ultimately, steady sarcasm will only undermine and serve to signal something is wrong.  Either with the relationship or simply someone’s ability to relate for real.

I think its wonderful quality to not take yourself too seriously. Have fun.  Just remember to be impeccable with your word.