Today, while shopping, I “met” a former Schoolcraft College student. I need to put met in quotation marks because the student knew who I was and I had seen him in the library. We likely had spoken before, but we never had much interaction. Later, he commented to the person who made the introduction that I seemed very different than what he thought from seeing me at the college. My friend commented that there is a difference between Dr. Berg and Steve.

Some people believe that there is a virtue is always being yourself. I disagree. To me, such a stance tends to be an excuse for boorish behavior. Instead, I agree with Miss Manners’ defense of hypocrisy. In a civilized society, we adjust our behavior to fit the situation in which we find ourselves. I don’t advocate trying to be someone you are not. However, I do believe that there are variations in our selves for different situations.

Dr. Berg was not shopping in Home Depot today and I did not need to take on the air of a professor when I was introduced to the former student. I was the partner of his friend and treated him as I would any other new friend. It would have been a bit different if he were a current student. Then, I would have been more reserved. But today, Steve might have made a new friend.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD