Do you ever find yourself getting involved in other people's business too often? Do you end up riled up over someone else's comment online that you just can't stop the urge to refute their opinion when you could have just gone about your day doing something else more productive?
Ladies and gentlemen and everyone in between or outside, fear no more.
Here are a couple of reasons with examples of how to mind your own business and live your life (while also respecting others and growing as a person!):
1. You are not that person
Let's talk about abortion.
I know, I know, this is such a controversial topic but this is a perfect example of not minding your own business. Why, you ask?
Say you are pro-life. And you know that your neighbor is a woman that is considering abortion. What do you do? Well, you have two options: 1) mind your own business and 2) mind your own business.
Let's put it this way. It is the same as if you hear that someone is debating whether or not to stay at their stable job or move to a bigger city with better opportunities and search for a job with higher pay. You're not going to go up to them and randomly say, "Why would you give up your job and just go somewhere unfamiliar when you're uncertain if you're even going to get a new job there?!" It is not your business to force your opinion on them; it is the same as forcing your opinion on abortion on someone.
2. They have their own reasons
Back to abortion.
Yes, there is debate about whether or not a fetus is considered a life, but rather than banning abortion, maybe think about the reasons why women choose abortion; maybe try providing more financial support to women in need, providing better education on safe sex in schools, educating men to not rape, better nutritional food choices for children in schools, and taking care of the children that are well alive and kicking?
3. The information you have on the topic could be misleading or wrong
Want to know the damaging effects of this? See the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election.
"Fake news" sums up just about everything wrong with the fast consumption of media that so many people through every day.
Acknowledge that you will not be the expert on a topic just because you saw one tweet about it and, instead, discuss it. Research it. If you say you don't have time to do a quick google search to see, at least, the bigger picture, then that means you didn't really care about the subject that much in the first place.
4. See what colonialism did
Colonialism shapes society and even still exists today.
It shapes history and the names we call certain things. It shapes beauty standards. It shapes societal customs. It shapes relationships between countries. And not of all them are good effects.
5. See what U.S. intervention in other places did
Hawa'ii. Guatemala. Iraq. Syria. The many places that have been negatively impacted by U.S. intervention. Some people believe that the U.S. should spread their "democracy" everywhere and can't stand to see the "injustice" or "barbarism" happening in other countries or places, so therefore the U.S. army should go in and fix it!
Uhm, well, to tell you the truth. It doesn't always work out that way. It's a whole another country! With different ideas! And people! Similar to colonialism, massive foreign intervention and getting all up in another society's business does not come out with great consequences. For example, here's an article on the devastating impact of U.S. intervention in Guatemala.
6. It is not as big of a deal that you thought it was
For example, take that H&M scandal recently. When the mother of the boy model wearing the "monkey" hoodie didn't even care about the words on his hoodie, then why would you make such a big deal about it as if it were a crucial and dire racial moment.
It takes the focus off the real and pressing issues that face and threaten people's lives and focuses on something that frankly, even the people directly involved in this situation didn't care about.
7. They don't affect you
Just why would you care about if so-and-so's son is gay? How does the sexual orientation or identification of another person affect you? How does someone liking pickles in their burger affect you? How does someone being a Republican affect you?
If they are not expressing a harmful opinion or using threatening language towards you, why would it bother you so much?
8. Life is too short
Live your own life instead of worrying about others because trust me, if you don't want people knowing and making judgments for you, other people don't need your opinion either.
