Get Over Yourself

Today I had to attend our company's bi-annual anti-harassment training session. Everyone in the company has to go through this every other year. The information provided was sound, and I don't think anyone should be harassed any time, especially at work.

But I also think people really need to get over themselves. When exactly did this great nation become filled with whiney ass little punks with egos so fragile that you can't even tell a joke or give a compliment without offending someone? When this country was founded, people endured great hardship to make the ocean voyage into this unknown land. They chopped down trees and built houses and farms and barns without even the luxury of electricity. And as the country grew, we pushed west, again enduring months of covered wagon travel, foraging out a meager existence in hopes of a brighter future. Do you think these great founding fathers (and mothers, lest I offend anyone reading this) ever gave a shit about someone telling a slightly off color joke while they are having to plow the back forty with a mule?

Don't get me wrong, I don't think you should go around trying to piss people off or intentionally make fun of someone due to their race, religion, sex, what color socks they are wearing or how often they scratch their butts on a wall. But the environment they are condoning is one in which no one is ever allowed to have any fun at all. And how exactly is this supposed to increase morale? Everyone is too afraid to say the wrong thing or look at someone the wrong way for fear of being brought to HR because their precious feelings got hurt. Grow up. Life isn't fair. And that is the best possible news there is. Because life isn't fair, you are not obligated to take whatever is dealt to you and live with it. You have the ability to take your circumstances and make them better. You have the ability to seek out that which makes you happy and successful. You don't have to bemoan every little comment someone says and make it an issue. How sad of a life do you lead if you are offended by anything that could possibly be taken in a negative connotation?

Personally, I want people around me to have fun and enjoy themselves. I want people to bust my balls, crack on me and my po' white trash family. In general, people know when they cross a line. And I honestly do not think the vast majority of people out there say and do things to intentionally hurt another person. I know I don't.

A good friend of mine recommended a book for me to read a while back. I never did read the book, but I did skim it and agree with the principles whole heartedly. It is on my "to read" list. The book is called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Basically it is about how to have personal freedom, and to touch on the major points, the agreements are 1) Be impeccable with your word, 2) Don't make assumptions, 3) Always do your best and 4) Don't take anything personally. These little rules may sound simple, but to actually put them in practice takes a lot of personal work. I truly understand that it is hard to not take things people do or say personally, but in reality what others do or say is not about you. To quote from the book, "Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering." Think about that for a minute. You won't be the victim of needless suffering.

Let it go, people. Get over yourself. Enjoy life. Laugh. Joke. Have fun. Picture your ideal self in your mind, and make it your life's goal to become that person. Be passionate, be loving, and be good to yourself. But for god's sake, lighten up!

Gone.