Blind Deaf and Happy

It was Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg talking on TV recently so I was respectfully listening as she clearly stated that the best advice she ever heard was to sometimes be deaf. I was shocked that she agreed with that philosophy even after I heard it was from her Mother-in-Law on her wedding day and meant as a personal motto not a way to run the Supreme Court. It is true that Justice is blind, we have all seen that Statue, so maybe being deaf is also good.

After a while I cooled off and thought it over and decided she was right. We should filter everything we hear to decide if we should get mad or not. I can tell when my filter is broken and I over-react to little things and other times it is nothing but filter and I end up missing the fire drill. It is good advice with loved ones to let some things go and not hold others accountable for every little outburst. And if it makes sense for our loved ones then maybe it is good practice in general.

This advice is along the lines of turning the other cheek, so now we have to also turn a blind eye and if needed we turn a deaf ear. That’s a lot of turning of the other cheek so to speak and we can even practice turning a tasteless tongue and a numb finger if that will help to keep the peace. That leaves us with nothing but our noses to properly judge the world. There are plenty of stink jokes that will fit nicely here, please fill in the blank with your favorite: ________________________.

If we can learn to selectively turn our senses on and off at will then we should never be offended again. The trouble today is that everyone is too sensitive, always getting their feelings hurt by something that could easily be shrugged off. Come on America, show some backbone and muscle through the insults and ignorance of others. It’s all part of the game, just staple it together and call it bad weather, as Jack Johnson would say.

If someone or something offensive is about to hurt you, don’t let it land. Even if it does land don’t admit it, go blind and deaf. It’s easier than you think.