Resist Hysteria

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/09/28/assignment_america/main5347232.shtml#comments
My friend John Martellaro always teases me about my frequent use of exclamation points in my emails and other correspondence. He's right. I do use them alot. But I think I'm going to give them up. In my case, they almost always signify excitement, pleasure, wonderment. But in the year of our Lord 2009, they are everywhere. And they mostly signal outrage.

I don't know how or why we got here. I'll let the pundits speculate about partisanship, racism, fear and the rest of it. But I do know that I've been taught the lesson, directly and indirectly, over and over, that you can only control yourself. And that railing against the (whatever), or trying to make (somebody) do (something) or behave a certain way is almost always a losing proposition. That's not to say I can't or don't try to influence people to adopt a certain viewpoint from time to time, but I focus only on what is in my own circle of influence because the rest of it is a tremendous waste of energy that would be much better spent on something positive.

The story linked here is a perfect example of when to groan and go on. It is a beautiful story about a dog whose family was in a horrific car accident and who stayed on the scene for 13 days, sleeping with the little artifacts he had gathered up - toothbrushes and the like. A very smart rescue worker who "wouldn't take lost for an answer" figured out what had happened, and found the family, who had all survived and thought the dog had died. Unfortunately, the family's medical bills - there were five of them in the accident - meant they temporarily had to move to a place that wouldn't allow pets. So the rescue lady agreed to keep the dog for them until they could get back on their feet.

You know where this is going, right? The very first comment on the website where this is posted was this:

Quote: "Unfortunately, because of the accident and the medical expenses, the Kelly family has had to temporarily relocate to a place that doesn't allow dogs."I hate these veiled attempts at swaying the majority opinion on socialized health care. We're smart to your tactics, CBS!!!!

Note: FOUR exclamation points. (Yes, John, I guess capital letters could fall into the same category). So I'll re-state. Four exclamation points. Don't you wonder what this person thinks those extra little marks are going to do? Be the last straw that convinces Texas to leave the union? Convince Nancy Pelosi to drop the public option? More likely, the post wil be featured on Colbert. And people will laugh, but uneasily.

And this isn't just about politics, by the way. What about children flying off the handle over minutiae and murdering each other in Chicago? My point is this: there is so much craziness that the only sane response is to abstain from participation in it. So I won't rant. I won't exclaim. I'll remain calm and focus on what I can contribute.

And, sorry, John, you won't have my exclamation points to kick around anymore. At least not for now.