A good friend of mine, after reading my commentary on
I thought it was a great idea. And I started thinking about what the overall message I want people to get from Mo’ Boy. And it came to me in a flash, literally flowing off my fingertips onto my Word screen. It is thus:
- Everyone should just not get so bent out of shape.
- If that bothers you, read it again.
See, most of the problems I see in the church (that’s the small-c church, meaning the social network it provides, not the Big-C Church, meaning the true Gospel of Jesus Christ), is that too many people make and take too many opportunities to get all bent out of shape about this opinion or that idea or this policy or that concept. When in reality, much of it doesn’t deeply impact us all that much.
Someone in
I mean, let’s get real, here. I love blogging as much as the next guy. I love sending out my ideas and my opinions. But I’m not arrogant enough, yet, to assume that I’m always (or even ever) right, nor to assume that my opinions are going to work in your life. I’m just spouting off my own opinions.
Now, the irony of this statement is not lost on me. In ranting about this very topic, I am, in fact, getting bent out of shape over other people who get bent out of shape. And you know, I can live with that irony. I enjoy it, in fact. I enjoy it because in doing so, I’m lightening up about my own getting tense. We all do it, the point is to learn to do it less.
So, feel free, as the occasion requires (even directed at me) to invoke the “MoBoy Doctrine” when letting someone kindly know that he or she is getting bent out of shape over something that really doesn’t matter.
And let’s all take a deep breath and not get so bent about what other people do or say. Life’s too short to spend it in a twist like that. And if that upsets you, then go get bent.
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com
A study of Douglas N. Adams disproves the Book of Mormon? Hmmm...
ReplyDeleteI think you are on to something here. Would you like to be my running mate on my "Better Weather for Everyone" campaign? We could use that Cheryl Crow song as out theme song!
yeah! That works!
ReplyDelete:-)
I was just discussing this topic with a friend of mine who is trying to decide if she is/was hurt and/or offended.
ReplyDeleteAfter much conversation and three days of spur of the moment phone calls when a new thought sparked I finally got her to understand a universal truth:
"You cannot argue -or be offended- by the mentally ill or mentally challenged."
i.e. a healthy minded person (which by definition can change from moment to moment in any of us)will be polite, unassuming and perfectly delightful, keeping all ill thoughts and opinions to one's self to avoid conflict or turmoil. Thus, if someone has offended us or is acting in an unsocial way, they are temporarily (or otherwise) "mentally impaired".
One can always disagree, but to *be* disagreeable is impaired. Once we latch on to this way of thinking it is almost impossible to become upset or bent out of shape, unless of course someone eats waaay too many chocolates.
One could make a convincing argument that not enough chocolate could produce the same effect...
ReplyDeleteI love your approach. Getting hung up on the details has lost me a lot of time and energy. I printed out this post so I can read it whenever I get tense, or bent. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWoo Hoo! We've got ourselves a movement! :-) Hey, I checked out your blog, Mr. Family History, and it looks great. I've done some online genealogy, but not as much as I need to!
ReplyDeleteThat is a simple doctrine that works well.
ReplyDelete