Get Offended, Ruin a Life

It was a joke, a simple, harmless gag that had absolutely nothing at all to do with you. Everyone who witnessed it laughed, almost everyone who heard about it later laughed. Most of those who didn't laugh shook their heads and walked away; whether they just didn't like it or were disgusted by it will never be known. You were the only one who took offense to it and felt the need to ruin someone's life because the joke didn't sit well with you. Guess what! It was none of your business!

It wasn't as if the jokester targeted you. It wasn't done to specifically offend you. It wasn't done to get on your nerves, to make fun or your beliefs, or anything else you may be thinking. You took issue with the joke but that's YOUR problem, nobody else's. You had no right to go as far as you did just because you were offended. Where did it get you? Nowhere.

Are you happy that the jokester's career is ruined? Are you happy now that you won't have to tolerate any more of Jokester's "un-Christian-like behavior" on a daily basis? Are your feelings no longer hurting now that you think you've done the world a service by turning Jokester in to the higher ups? I hope you feel good because a whole team of people are really upset over your retaliation; some of them even behaving in a not-so-adult manner, which is a different story altogether.

There are any number of things you could have done instead of what you actually did. You could have walked away and ignored it. You could have spoken with Jokester privately and expressed your feelings politely. You could have expressed and processed your feelings with someone completely neutral. OR, how about this? You could have seen it for what it was - A HARMLESS JOKE - and laughed with everyone else.

Instead, you allowed your delicate sensibilities to take control and you decided to step in and speak for everyone. You are one person. Yes, your feelings matter but you had no right to take away someone's career and ruin their reputation because you can't handle a simple joke. I'm sorry your feelings were hurt, and I'm sorry you had a problem with someone else's personality and sense of humor. You chose to be there on a daily basis. If you didn't like it, you could have left instead of turning the entire place upside down because of YOUR belief system.

You made it all about you and didn't bother to think of the repercussions that would follow. So now you're happy but nobody else is. I hope you sleep well at night with that knowledge, and I hope you can live with the ripple effect of your actions. I hope that, someday, you realize that everything isn't always about you and that maybe you need to take a step back and stop taking everything so seriously. Laugh a little and understand that we are all not like you and never will be. Most of all, I hope you learn to relax, go with the flow, and and stop getting offended by things that really don't matter in the grand scheme of life.

Until next time...peace to all.