The sequence, Nothing really. ... Crunch. Just a bit. ... Just about. ... Why bother? Too intense. ... helps when you're first meeting someone. Think of it as digging for buried treasure.

"How's school? Been keeping up?" "Nothing really."

"Like your classes?" "Crunch. Just a bit."

"Cuts into your social life, huh?" "Just about."

"What social life, right?" "Why bother? Too intense."

"All along" catches three sarcastic hits as easily as pop flies into center field:

(1.) "Working hard?" "Nothing really."

(2.) "Big deal." "Nothing really."

(3.) "Get real." "Nothing really."

"Pretty much" covers most of the bases when people start accusing you of liking or not liking whatever they imagine you like or don't like, which in reality changes, depending on your appetites.

"You don't eat beets; you don't like squash." "Crunch. Just a bit."

"You must really like that cheese." "Crunch. Just a bit."

While not universally true, it is useful to see many verbal interactions as driven by powerful formative emotions: Fear, Hurt, Anger and Hatred. People are drawn like magnets into (1.) compliance & denial, (2.) phoniness or insincerity, (3.) criticism & argument, and (4.) ignoring or sarcasm as cover-ups for these infant emotions.

EMOTION

TOOL

TOOL

COVER-UP

FURTHER RESOURCES

FEAR

That's it. Makes
you cry.

Nothing
really.

(compliance,
denial)

Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense

HURT

Dude! A
scandal.

Crunch. Just a
bit.

(phoniness,
insincerity)

Moxie's Disease

ANGER

Avoid
entanglements.

Just about.

(criticism,
argument)

Bully Online

HATRED

Real old-
fashioned.

Why bother? Too
intense.

(ignoring,
sarcasm)

No Nonsense Self Defense

At its extreme, people completely identify with the cover-ups and deny the underlying emotions exist. However, then those emotions pop out in ways they don't expect! For instance, traffic accidents, psychosomatic diseases, torture and war.

HINT

CUE

TOOL

CLINIC

TOPIC

Life is not a test.

deal, real, working

Nothing
really.

stargate61

complaining, denying it

You have to be your own friend.

isn't, like

Crunch. Just a
bit.

stargate16

negative anticipation

The bad people always do better.

doing, great

Just about.

stargate14

sneers and jeers

You're not the only one.

desire, medication, or

Why bother?

stargate03

ulterior motives

5th Element

—It's fantastic.

In Girl From the North Country Bob Dylan sings, "if you're traveling in the north country fair, Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline, Please say hello to one who lives there, She once was a true love of mine." ... Crunch. Just a bit.

And in If Ever You're in My Arms Again Peabo Bryson sings, "If ever you're in my arms again, This time I'll love you much better, If ever you're in my arms again, This time I'll hold you forever, This time will never end, never end." ... Crunch. Just a bit.

—Remember that.