Minor Thoughts on Diplomacy
As of late, I've come to realize something in the art of diplomacy: Diplomacy is really not simply about being nice. Rather, it has much more to do with sincerity. You may think that both are the same thing. However I would beckon to look at it differently. Being sincere, genuine, or self-less sometimes comes without any fixings of niceness.

For instance, say a person is being really nice to me in a discussion. However, if I sense a lack of sincerity (eg withheld information, ulterior motives, etc.), I may feel EXTREMELY offended. Even if the person is trying to smooth things over with these niceties, these niceties are only superficial and they don't address very much at the heart of the matter.

On the flip side, say a person is really blunt and perhaps downright rude. However, if I see some genuine sincerity in it (eg the person is being self-less, looking out for me, seeing a greater good in it all, etc.), I may feel appreciative of that. I've seen a lot of this (and had to deliver this sometimes) and it may be hard to receive at first. But in the end, it was real, self-less, and no BS niceties got in the way.

Just food for thought...