Steal My Thunder, Rape My Lightening

Alright now before you think that I'm making some kind of statement about "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry", you're wrong. This is more so about the importance of learning (personally) when to shut the fuck up.

Everyone wants to be heard and share their stories. It what makes people seem interesting to everyone else, and people like to feel that their words matter. The thing that almost everyone forgets is that EVERYONE wants to feel important; you're not the only one who wants to have this feeling. We currently live in a state of mind where children are no longer only "best seen, not heard"; where women can receive an equal education to voice their opinions; where people of every race under the techno-colored rainbow can express basic human rights. With this much freedom to spread out voices, we kind of forget that other people want to do the same thing.

I'm NOWHERE near perfect either, I do this all the time. I interrupt a lot of my friends and family to get a story out. Regardless of the fact that my story may be more interesting, it's still a very rude thing to do. I've been trying to catch myself whenever that happens. I have to remember that I don't like it when other people interrupt me, and that they probably think the same way. A few years ago, I used to do this a LOT:
Friend: Oh, let me tell you about the time that --
Me: Stop, before you begin, try to shorten your entire story into 2 sentences.
Friend: Why?
Me: Because that's all I'm going to listen to.

I sound like a dick, don't I? It was rude and very wrong of me to interrupt my friends like that constantly. I'd shorten their stories so I could lengthen mine. It took me a while to realize I was doing this, too. My friends never spoke up about it because I'd be so brash, they were afraid of my reaction. Even when I got them to tell me what I was doing wrong, they were hesitant, as if it was a trap. I now do my best to let my friends finish talking first before I can speak, even if I don't want to.

It's also REALLY important to hold back from interrupting people when you know what their story already is. Let them finish their stories; it's their turn to talk, not yours. It's never cool to
Steal someone's punchline...
To steal their thunder...
To rape their lightening.

Stop raping lightening!

And have some goddamn patience, everyone will thank you.