Sweet, sweet summer time. Nothing beats our wonderful permanent sauna outdoors. Mother Nature is alternately trying to wash us off the map and dry us of. The kids are out of school and wreaking havoc at Red’s. The entire population will be relocating briefly to Destin or Orange Beach. Not much is changing, but change is happening nonetheless.
Lafayette recently recognized June as Pride Month. No doubt many people were waiting for public recognition, and surely many more do not care at all. While Lafayette is becoming a little gayer, it’s not gay enough according to some folks. A local outlet has been sharing the stories of several members of the gay community throughout the month, and a central theme is that these people believe Lafayette could improve in ways of vague enlightenment and kind-heartedness. Are they right? Maybe so. Maybe not.
This morning while listening to the radio, I heard a snippet from a Ricky Gervais stand up routine. In this snippet, he calls out people who get offended and mad about things he posts on Twitter. Gervais says:
“People take everything personally, they think the world revolves around them…I’m not tweeting [at] anyone, I’m just tweeting. I don’t know who’s following me. They could be following me without me knowing, choose to read my tweet, and then take that personally’. That’s like going into a town square, seeing a big notice board and there’s a notice with guitar lessons, and you go, ‘But I don’t f***ing want guitar lessons!’”
When I first heard this, I immediately thought of some of the things I’ve seen on social media. People becoming outraged over nothing. The next second, however, I realized that I also felt the tiniest version of that outrage myself when seeing the Pride Month posts, specifically as it regards to changing Lafayette.
The world revolves around me in my own head, sure. But not to the folks who contributed their stories. Or the outlet that published it. Or the dissenting voice in town. Or to my friends. Or my wife (but that’d be nice, wouldn’t it?). I had to remind myself that the stories being posted weren’t being posted AT me, they were just being posted. I had to remind myself that I’m not the only person in Lafayette who loves the city and wants it to be the best city in the country. With other people who think, feel, and have past experiences that differ from my own, it would be insane to think that we can all agree on the path that brings Lafayette to perfection.
We can all recognize something immediately: it is not proper for any of us to be offended by any opinion that does not directly slander ourselves, our families, or our friends. Daily life dramatically improves with the simple exercise of minding your own business. I have to remind myself to do so, just like we all should. When I hit that stride of minding my own business, I’m improving Lafayette the way that I see fit and I believe in. This step is one that brings me immense joy, even when things aren’t working out. As always, another fool-proof way to dramatically improve your life is to stay off of social media—another step that I need reminders for.
Is it the best idea to take behavioral tips from comedians? Probably not. But sometimes they have a good point. A broken clock is wrong twice a day, you know? By the way, if you’re reading this and are offended at the idea of minding your own business, please remember that I’m not writing at you, I’m just writing.
Sources:
https://www.indy100.com/celebrities/ricky-gervais-twitter-humanity-standup-b1869904
Bayou Observant 