6/17/2017
Traffic

If you have nothing good to say, shut up.

That can mean many things, really.

One interpretation: if you have nothing good to say, shut up. Meaning, don't criticize. Criticism, any criticism, is not good, no matter how good your intentions are. You're telling that person he's not good enough, otherwise he does not need any feedback, he does not need to improve himself, or anything for that matter. No, that's not good. If you have nothing else but criticism, shut up. Don't even mix criticism in with your praise. Shut up.

Another interpretation: if you have nothing good to say, shut up. Don't come here with your bad mood and your sullen take on the world. No. Don't come here smearing bullshit on my sunny day. No. Get out of here. Shut up.

I don't know. Are we trying to escape any and all trace of negativity? This world, after all, is filled with so much bullshit already - despots, strife, the rising cost of third wave coffee. The only defense is to build a bubble around all that, a bubble to stay happy in. No, that doesn't mean disregarding what happens outside - we still care, we still shout about it! But only when it's convenient. Don't tell anybody. All we're doing is look like we care. Empathy is such important currency nowadays, but we don't really want to be knee deep in all that bullshit.

That leaves the rest of us - we who have not seen nothing but sunshine, we who have experienced both sides of the coin, gone through several spins of the wheel. We respond differently. Some may take it all in stride. Others may let that ruin their lives - their loss, not mine. Why so serious, anyway?

That leaves the rest of us, walking around like zombies, carrying weights nobody wants to share, unless it's convenient, of course. We walk aimlessly, mindlessly, towards oncoming traffic.

And your responses...

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