Musturbation and shouldism…

The more I step away from opinions about human behavior and politics, the less I need to follow news and current events. I may do so to stay informed, I may even form opinions…which I often do. But a personal opinion held objectively (as an abstract) is far different from one held as an absolute.

Opinions in general are inevitable given our human nature. This is especially true in areas where we have expertise or specific knowledge). Opinions as absolutes, however, lead to “shouldism” and produce emotional reactions, often negative ones. They feed our tendency towards “musturbation” (Albert Ellis’ term) and too often result in frustration and anger.

It seems clear that contentment requires one to view the world objectively and relativistically (if that’s a word). That is not the same as viewing it impersonally, but it allows one to pick and choose the issues that merit emotional investment.

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