While serving in the military I learned about a term called "sea lawyer." A "sea lawyer" is a sailor (or any person who fits this description) who knows all the rules, codes and regulations for the primary purpose of protecting himself from scrutiny, extra duty or misunderstanding. In other words, he becomes an expert in the legal system to learn where the loop holes are. Seems like more work trying to avoid being a solid team player than simply carry out your role as a member of the crew. I sometimes find myself spending more time defending a mistake or misfire, when really all that was necessary was just saying, "Thanks for catching that, I missed it. I'll work on correcting it…" But instead, I become like the pontifical, teflon sea lawyer and go filibustering about the worldviews of the Mayans or expiration dates on Ranch dressing. It's exhausting defending perfection, when the more economical way would be just to admit one is not perfect and that you trying to get a little better a day at a time.
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