There are very few things in life that I genuinely care about. Am I a religious person? No. Do I have strong political views? Not really. There is, however, one principle that I thoroughly and wholeheartedly believe in, something I have practiced for as long as I can remember, and which I will likely continue to practice for the rest of my days.

When I see a movie, I wait until after the credits are over before I leave the movie theater.

It hurts my soul to leave while the credits are still rolling, which is why I make sure to never do it. Even if I completely hated the movie that I just watched, I will stay until the end. I mean, I've already made it to the credits, so why not wait just a few more minutes before leaving? It makes perfect sense to me, but the unfortunate and heartbreaking truth is that not everyone shares this mindset.

I have been mocked and ridiculed my entire life because of this belief. Well, not really, mock and ridicule are both pretty strong, overly dramatic words for the situation at hand. But, many people have been confused by it. They seem to want to leave almost immediately as the credits begin to roll, but not me.

Now, the main reason I stay is to see if there are any additional scenes during or after the credits. Call me crazy, but if there is an extra scene then I don't want to miss it, even if I have to wait that extra few minutes before leaving. These additional scenes are generally referred to as "stingers," which is a random fact that you now know but will more than likely never use in your entire life.

Marvel superhero movies have now become well-known for their stinger scenes, often placing even more than one during or after the film's credits. Everyone knows not to leave until after the credits for a Marvel movie, so these movies are the only times when I don't feel alone in my beliefs. I have tried to explain to people that Marvel is not necessarily the only movie studio that puts scenes after the credits, but they don't seem to want to listen, and they seem as eager as ever to leave once the first credit hits the screen.

I also like to have a few minutes at the end to both ponder and absorb the film I just watched, which is another thing that I have come to discover many people do not understand. To me, immediately leaving a movie theater right when the credits start is a sign that the movie you just watched has already left your brain, and you probably will not spend very much time thinking about it afterward. Either that or you just really hated the movie.

So, to anyone who will ever see a movie with me in the future, I guess I should warn you now, and apologize ahead of time for the fact that we will be staying until after the credits are over and the screen is completely blank. After all, movies are expensive these days, and I'm trying to get my money's worth.