Words with Friends

Every so often, I open my mouth to say something, and then several other somethings come pouring out in rapid succession, and before I realize what I've done, a whole lot of ugliness has spilled out. This is not unlike a situation in which, say, the EPA, in its wisdom, were to "protect" the environment by spilling toxic waste into Colorado's Animas River.

Which the EPA would never do.

When you've had "words with friends," so to speak, the damage is often very difficult to clean up or repair. And even when you feel like you've done all you can possibly do to make amends, some scars and distrust nevertheless remain.

Long story short: A good friend and I got into a heated discussion last week, and this occurred online. So, naturally, I said some stupid things I wouldn't have the gumption to say to his face because, hey, I felt like he had done the same to me.

To social media: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems!

#ShareBadness

When it comes to hurt feelings between friends, usually one of two things happens: Those people never speak to each other again, or they ultimately end up deciding that they value the other person's friendship far above whatever petty difference(s) may have driven a wedge between them and make amends, no matter who's at fault or whose pride has been wounded more.

I am fortunate enough to say that the latter was the case with my friend and me. After talking things out for more than two hours over burgers and ice cream at McDonald's, like real men do, we hugged it out and agreed to let bygones be bygones. I'm grateful that this person had the greatness of character not only to do this but also to tell me some things about myself that I needed to hear, whether or not I wanted to hear them, so that I can be a better friend to him and to others in our social circle in the future. It's always a good idea to get both sides of the story.

In fact, I'd even dare say that our friendship is now stronger not because of our disagreement but because we bounced back from it.

And that made for a happy meal.

Mob Violence

Editor's note: With today's post, I don't mean in any way to downplay or ignore any of the actual serious problems of intolerance of the past nor those so prevalent in the world right now, such as actual bigotry or war or the chaos the ensues from drawing, say, a cartoon of a prominent religious figure. Today's post is not mean to take that tone nor to equate the following examples in any way, shape, or form with actual struggles of the oppressed and the persecuted. It's intended to have a lighter, more satiric tone than what would be required to address any one of the above issues.

Thank you.

It's a good thing we've left behind the intolerant, ignorant, and barbaric ways of the past, isn't it? Modern-day prophets aren't tarred and feathered like poor Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were in the early days of the Church in 19th-century Ohio. We don't have to worry about witch trials or Red Scares or even the Spanish Inquisition, either.

Yes, mob violence is a thing of the distant past . . . right?

'Tain't necessarily so, though. Mob mentality still exists. It creeps even into social situations.

Consider the following scenarios, perhaps at a social gathering near you anytime soon:

 - Getting people at a party to agree on which pizza toppings should go on the pizza. You will never get people to agree on this issue—ever.

 - By the same token, getting people to agree on which DVD will be shown at a party—which is the main reason why I tend to avoid these types of gatherings like the plague. Likewise, you will never get people to agree on this. (However, if you tell me in advance exactly what movie is going to be shown, then I can make an informed decision. Either way, people will likely end up asleep on the couch or not talking to each other in way or another, and I'll skip it regardless.)

 - Playing the party game "Mafia," which 100% of the time leads to hurt feelings among friends.

 - Posting an unpopular opinion on a social media site, and then watching the fallout. (Egad!) Or on a blog. (I would never, though.)

Scary stuff.