Bookmark #17

Taking offence, unlike what you might think, is also an art. You see, it is quite similar to silence. A person who is silent always, never uttering even an ounce of their opinion is as good, if not worse, as a person whose opinion lacks quality. Similarly, taking offence on everything trivialises the idea of something really being offensive or hurtful.

Our generation has already ruined most of what being offended by something really entails; we’re a generation of people who live in their echo chambers thanks to social media and cookie-centric, activity-tracking internet applications.

We spend way too much time listening to our own selves or people who toot the same horns that we do and as soon as someone brings a new sound, however harsh or soft, we get offended.

This feeling of unease which we so beautifully dub into a demand for apology as we take our pitchforks out of our backpacks usually comes not from a place where we’re hurt by others’ thoughts but from our inefficiency to accept that no one in this world owes us opinion that we can easily digest.

This inefficiency comes from the absence of contrarian opinions in our everyday lives.

So, before you ask for an apology or get offended on whatever it may, make sure you’re not just being a pompous prick who is just used to looking into the mirror for way too long.

Always remember, if everything is offensive, nothing is. So take offence but do it carefully and selectively.

// if you want to support this walk to nowhere, you can pitch in here