It is hard for me to believe that I have been writing here at Saving Advice for close to two years now. After about 150 columns, I am pleased to count many of you among my new friends! I’ve also developed a sense of how readers are likely to react to anything that I write. Sometimes, comments will be generally favorable. Sometimes people will agree with my thoughts. Sometimes people will disagree. That is to be expected.
Then there is that small subset of readers who occasionally get so outraged by something that I offer that they feel compelled to post vitriolic comments. Not the “Dave — I see your point but I don’t agree with you” responses, but the “Dave — You are clearly an idiot without the brain to tie your shoes let alone offer advice on saving or any other aspect of life and I hope that you know what an idiot you are because if not I am here to tell the world that you are an idiot” comments.
If you are among that small subset of angry posters, I welcome you to vent your anger, your frustration, your profound displeasure, and all of the other negative emotions that you want to vent. Feel free to call me names. Indeed, sometimes I might even agree with you. Then, I hope you get over it.
Really. Get over it. Get over my article. Get over all of the other things with which you disagree. Get over the other petty inconveniences and largely irrelevant differences of opinion that you encounter each day. Get over all of the little things. Then enjoy your life.
In the grand scheme of things, if you are getting so angry that one of my articles can fill you with venom, you are not enjoying your life to the fullest, whatever that may mean. You are also more than likely letting everything that crosses your path get in the way of the fulfillment that only you can forge in your piece of the universe.
There are a lot of things each day that I could let annoy me. For example, I am not in favor of any version of the health care bills that the current presidential administration in Washington is trying to see enacted. I fundamentally believe that a public option is a bad option and that it will result in a weaker health care system in the USA and greater costs for me. I am also not willing to let my disagreement with the bill, or any bill, become the driving force in my daily life.
If I can influence the way of the world in any way, I will do so. At the same time, I don’t have to let the world influence me unless I want to allow it. If something happens that I don’t like, I roll with it. Adding stress, anxiety, frustration and anger to an already bad situation makes it worse. That almost never makes sense.
For your own health and well-being, learn to roll with all of the little things that you experience. That, of course, includes all of the little tidbits of thought and advice that I have to offer. If a little thing like an article about manicures or some other aspect of daily life can be enough to make you experience profound anger, hate or some other negative emotion, get over it.
Get over it fast, or all you will lose out on some of the best parts of living.
What do you think is worth experiencing negative emotions? Do you think some people can enjoy being angry or resentful? How does anger make your life less enjoyable and how can you help yourself to control it? What types of articles really set you off in a way that you might later regret?
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