Cue the Outrage

Cue the Outrage -- that would be the title of my book if I were inclined to write about media manipulation of public opinion. It's a great title, but I have no intention of writing such a book. I'll just sit here and shake my head at the waves of public outrage, which are no less predictable than the waves of the sea.

Personally, I rarely experience outrage of any kind, so I guess I have a pretty long fuse, which is a great blessing.

Partly, that's because of a Leo Tolstoy quote I have grappled with for many, many years: "To understand is to forgive everything." After mulling it over, I've concluded that Tolstoy's statement is not quite true. I would re-phrase it: "To understand is to forgive (almost) everything." [There are some actions that my finite mind, anyway, cannot accept.] In general, though, I do believe that if we truly understood why people do what they do or say what they say or think what they think, we would be more forgiving. A simple apology would be enough, and fewer people would have to check into rehab for off-the-cuff, insensitive remarks, etc.

I was a debater in high school and college, but rather than developing a zeal for argument, debate mellowed me. I learned to argue both sides of every issue. When I went to the final round of a tournament in Missouri, my teammates loaned me their enormous index card files -- huge metal drawers, some of which were empty -- to intimidate the competition. It looked like we had mountains of evidence, and it worked -- we won the tournament. (Who knows if all of those file drawers were a factor?) I don't remember if we were pro or con, but the point is, it didn't matter. Manipulating the judges was the point, swaying them. My partner and I were the wind that made the tall grass blow and it was exhilarating.

But today, unless it's an issue of physical or spiritual life and death, I rarely, if ever, argue with anyone. This isn't because I'm unsure of my position or unable to articulate it -- it's because I value peace...and because I've discovered for myself the futility of yelling into the wind...and because I approve of people holding opinions contrary to my own, allowing for the possibility that on some level we may both be right. Maybe the very existence of our two philosophies will create a harmonious balance, if we do not feel compelled to disturb the peace by hollering at each other.

(This is not to imply that I have become some sort of wussy moderate. The more life experience I have on Planet Earth, the more conservative I become. [I have evolved...I was actually a registered Democrat at 18! What was I thinking?] Maybe some day I will march on Washington or wear a sandwich board sign or engage in debate concerning some passionate cause, but for now, I'm just enjoying some peace.)