As a young, inexperienced, college reporter needing to do a last minute feature piece: I had to find someone to interview and write about. This meant actually interacting with people,which was painful, and beyond that, finding one out of so many options who was news worthy. The piano student who hung around the music and arts buildings telling flashy stories was an easy choice. With a seemingly endless amount of choices and no idea where to start, people who want so badly to be written about are an easy choice... but I know that in retrospect.
He had dramatic descriptions of himself and his hobbies. He liked attention. He spun his own ideas out for the story he wanted told about himself. But, no story is complete on its subject's word, it needs quotes from reliable sources in order to be credible. His fellow piano student seemed like a good source for a quote about him in that arena, and the one I asked. I remember this student's guarded expression, and carefully selected, complimentary words, but didn't connect the reasons until afterwards.
Later, the piano teacher informed us that the student we had actually written a story about wasn't half as good as he made himself out to be, and what he lacked in talent he made up for in being pompous, dramatic and loud. The other student who had given a quote about him was the better student, actually the best piano player at the college, there on an exclusive scholarship, and certainly more newsworthy.
What I remember and appreciate now, was this quoted student's character. He did not use his quote as an opportunity to talk bad about the first guy nor turn it into an opportunity to talk about himself.
It might have been brought to mind from studying this passage in James:
1:26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
He had dramatic descriptions of himself and his hobbies. He liked attention. He spun his own ideas out for the story he wanted told about himself. But, no story is complete on its subject's word, it needs quotes from reliable sources in order to be credible. His fellow piano student seemed like a good source for a quote about him in that arena, and the one I asked. I remember this student's guarded expression, and carefully selected, complimentary words, but didn't connect the reasons until afterwards.
Later, the piano teacher informed us that the student we had actually written a story about wasn't half as good as he made himself out to be, and what he lacked in talent he made up for in being pompous, dramatic and loud. The other student who had given a quote about him was the better student, actually the best piano player at the college, there on an exclusive scholarship, and certainly more newsworthy.
What I remember and appreciate now, was this quoted student's character. He did not use his quote as an opportunity to talk bad about the first guy nor turn it into an opportunity to talk about himself.
It might have been brought to mind from studying this passage in James:
1:26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
