Sometimes I have really weird thoughts late at night. This one of those nights...
In this post I am going to consider a question I pondered recently regarding the conscience.
Warning!
This post is intended to be comically controversial in nature. This post is intended as an outlet for me to release thoughts into words that require some form of medium for expression, and so here it is. It is also for entertainment purposes, and possibly mildly educational. The cat's outta the bag, because I am also posting for the few pennies people might throw back at me, as all authors do. If your sense of humor does not react well to insulting commentary, cease and desist from reading on in this post immediately. I take no responsibility for your feelings or how my words may affect others. I am not an expert advice giver, nor am I an expert at insulting others.
If you are insulted by anything I say, then you're welcome. You can thank me at the end.
What's wrong with being offended?
Instantly, I can already hear the programmed answers jump into my mind.
It's rude
It's mean
It's verbally abusive
It's hate speech
It's racist
It's fascist
It's (insert insulting generalization)
By this programmed moral logic, any fashionable excuse that a person feels like providing, no matter how irrational it is, is reason enough to make an example of why it is wrong to be made to feel insulted. Feelings hurt sometimes worse than physical injuries, and if causing injuring and pain is punishable, then causing painful feelings should be punishable too. Under public circumstances, being offended gives the offended the right to call out the offender by assigning them any insulting label they deem fit in order to teach them the error of their ways. If power of words are ineffective, physical force may also be considered a form of righteous justice.
Let me mansplain that in the only way I am capable of doing. Reacting to a faux pas in this way is devoid of self control, empathy, self-actualization, disciplined moral fiber and grounding.
A person lacking these qualities may believe reacting negatively to an offense is okay in any situation they are not getting the response they want. Anything deemed a crime can be punished in any way they see fit until they are satisfied with the results.
Oh dear, this is not starting off well for me.
Hang with me, we're about to go off the deep end...
What I asked originally...
I never asked why it is wrong to offend another person, although that is a good question to ponder too. I asked why is it wrong to be offended. If you're still with me, and you are not annoyed with me yet, then I hope I have piqued your curiosity.
Let's explore more examples of insulting comments, without getting too vulgar. Insults can actually be quite entertaining if you enjoy a bit of black humor and don't take the meanings to heart.
Oh, are you pregnant?
Pardon me, I thought you were a man.
If you did it like I told you, this wouldn't have happened.
You aren't going out like that, are you?
Sorry, we've never met, but you look just like someone I know. Can I get a picture of you to show my friends?
Are you really, really sure you are okay?
You know nothing, Jon Snow.
Let me set y'all straight, in terms of where I stand on the battle of words.
It doesn't matter!
Yes, words are rude. Practically anything you might say, the way you say it, who you say it to, and the situation you say it in, can be construed as offensive eventually.
So does that solve anything? Hardly.
Here's the bitter truth.
Being offended is a reaction...
of guilt.
Oh yes, I'm going there today. Today, I am releasing all the skeletons in the closet we've been hiding for many years from our family, friends, and therapist. Better get well acquainted with how they have influenced you over the years, so that they don't suddenly turn you into a monster the next time a stranger mentions one of them.
Somebody says something about your weight, your gender, your political beliefs, religion, sex life, family, intelligence, appearance, or -- God forbid-- your mother.... why would it bother you unless you felt bad about it? Maybe there is a very deeply seeded reason why you feel bad about this subject that nobody else is aware of. You have kept this a secret because it disturbs the hell out of you to confront this demon head on. Feeling offended is merely evidence that you have not yet finished stewing over a subject matter that has bothered you for a very, very long time.
That's your issue not theirs.
Rather than jumping out like a venomous snake the next time someone says something reeking of a foul stench you hoped you would never smell again in your lifetime, take a moment to really consider whether or not you are truly mature and grounded enough to not care about the smell. Will it go away if you hold your breath? Is it possible that the smell is also funny, and not intended to be nasty? Rather than have a full-blown medical emergency over it, maybe consider removing yourself from the situation to get some medicine to heal things over.
A few deep breaths and words of self-encouragement can go a long way to restore confidence in oneself to better withstand the impending dangers in the world.
Will you demand that the obstacles in your life be removed? Or will you face them head on, and look back appreciating how they made you stronger despite the painful scars suffered. That was the past. Where are you now?
Everybody has to deal with the skeletons in their closet some day. Better late than never.
Exception: Every once in a while in life I meet a youth that comes from a troubled family, and I am blown away by how mature and grounded they are when faced with cruelty, favoritism, hate, and even violence. Any kid that can stay calm and collected in the face of adversity, in a situation most adults would have a cow, should be owed a great measure of respect. I would never expect a child to understand how to cope with their feelings like an adult, but I would expect an adult to learn in life how to stop being ruled by their feelings like a child.
Thanks for reading through this quirky post. Even if you just looked at the funny pictures, I guess I appreciate the fact that you had to skim through a few of my wacky ramblings today. Perhaps a few of my biting phrases wandered into the vicinity of your eyes and bored some meaning deeper into the brain.
Steemit is sometimes used like a public diary, though I am not sure that is always wise as it opens up many vulnerabilities and opinions which the greater population may not respond kindly to. So please forgive me for splurging some random thoughts that were running through my head here. This post is not meant to be a public service announcement to anyone here I know, complainatority in nature, or meant to be taken as general advice. I am known for giving deep cold hard cutting advice to my friends sometimes. I don't like to sugar coat because I am a terrible liar. Honesty suits me, and it looks much better in the mirror when I wake up.
Mainly, I have an inner need to vent with words every once in a while because sometimes I will go days, weeks, months, or years before someone even asks me about something that has been bothering me. Am I supposed to keep troubling thoughts buried under a volcano of doubts for the rest of the my life? I certainly hope not.
So thanks for being an ear for me today. I appreciate your support.
Feel free to comment or troll below. All words are welcome.