Oh, snark, how I appreciate you.  How I glory in you.  How I fear that you will be used against me.  I have not many gifts, but I do have the gift of snark.  Oftentimes I keep it to myself, but sometimes I unleash it.  And worse, if I am not careful, I will use it behind someone's back. 

And I am not the only one.  Sadly, I see it everywhere.  So many comedians use it. If I watch someone who uses it often, then I began to get a superior sense of myself.  I see people less as individuals and more as material.  On the surface, I want to glory in their shortcomings, while underneath, I cower from my own.  The snarky voice can be used so much that I apply it to myself without thinking.  Relentlessly.  Sometimes it takes the voice of people who have hurt me, but if I am honest, sometimes it is just simply from me.

 I think that being clever is overvalued.  What about being a nice, decent individual who is compassionate toward others?  But that is so hard to do.  And snark is easier.  And it might make you popular.

There is a chance that it is not always bad.  There are times, rare I am sure, when it is probably called for, but I fear that I overuse snark and vulgarity.  It is like a crutch for a cheap laugh.  If I am writing something that I cannot fearlessly defend to everyone, including family members, should I be writing it?  Probably not.

Oh, the narrow gate.  So hard to enter through.  Is it even possible to make it?  Perhaps.  One small, hard fought step at a time.

So, I will try when I can to dig beneath snark to the places I have used it to hide.  That is so much harder, but probably more rewarding in the long run.  I can't do it all the time, but I feel as if I must try.

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(image from http://cokanesbloggery.blogspot.com/2007/02/please-make-it-stop.html)