It's Time to Toughen Up

We are getting soft. I'm not sure if life has become so comfortable that too many people have no real threats to concern themselves with or if extremism is taking over but we are getting pretty soft.

In the early 80's when one kid said something mean to another kid, the receiving child would  turn and recite the old adage, 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.'

These days if a kid says something mean, it's now an issue on a similar scale to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Ok, not really that bad but it is not handled at the lowest level. As such, teachers are stressed to their last nerve and we are making kids who become entitled adults.

My parents made me tough, maybe too tough. Sometimes I say things that other people don't like. I get in trouble for it. However, because they made me tough, when I get called out, I genuinely thank them for helping me be better. I have the strength to not be offended when somebody says something I don't like to hear. I use this strength to learn.

I'm worried about what I'm hearing about on University Campuses. Protesters are almost routinely causing controversial speakers to have their appearances cancelled. This is scary. It looks a lot like 1930's Germany when there would be book burnings in the town square. The reason to go to University is disappearing. It used to be a place to have your ideas challenged, not to have your ideas confirmed. I took one religion class when I went to the University of Manitoba. It was Death and Concepts of the Afterlife. It was taught by a wonderful professor, Rabbi Rose. During one of his many interesting lectures, he mentioned that if you go to university and don't feel like your beliefs have been challenged you should ask for your money back. 

If the values and beliefs you hold so close are in fact the best way to run your life, you should be welcoming challenges and questions because it can stand up to scrutiny. Shouting down someone who has a different point of view only shows you do not believe in your point of view, because you will not let your ideas be challenged.

There are some real nut jobs out there. They become obvious when you consume a lot of opinion from a variety of sources. Listening to people you don't particularly agree with builds your savvy. We need more of that. We need people to see and understand why someone would agree to a different point of view.

If you want to be successful, you have to be tough. There is a difference between tough and inconsiderate. You can be tough and polite. Do not get tough and rude confused. If you are really savvy, you can be tough and people will still want to work with you.

It's time to make ourselves resistant to things that don't really matter. The opinion of an uninformed person is not something you should get worked up about. If all they can do is recite a tag line, don't get so butt-hurt. Oh, and by the way, pushing back legitimizes their argument and artificially inflates their importance.