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Why so serious?

When I was a kid, I could have a pretty serious outlook on life sometimes. I was introspective, doing a lot of carefully thinking and caring deeply about everything that seemed important to me. And those qualities aren’t bad but, like any good thing, they can get out of balance. I remember one time my Dad told me I really didn’t have to take life so seriously; I thought it through for a while and realized he was right.

I do my best to find balance but still end up swing too far to one side or the other of that line; making light of things I ought to take more seriously or taking too seriously things that I shouldn’t.

One thing I’ve noticed is that when you don’t take trouble as seriously in your own life, you tend to not take it as seriously in other people’s lives either. And that’s fine as long as it’s something they’re able to laugh about. But if it’s something that really bothers them, we ought to be sensitive to that and be able to empathize and be an encouragement.

Do you ever have a hard time trying to find a good balance on what to take seriously and what to laugh off? Any thoughts on how to do a better job at that?

June 18th, 2009 | Category: Thoughts
  • Sometimes I wonder if I think too much... It's good to take a break from that too sometimes I guess. Gonna work to get some more lighthearted posts up sometime soon. And probably some heavier stuff too I suppose. :o)

    Thanks for sharing your insights from working in the healthcare industry! I think you're exactly right; we need to put ourselves in other people's shoes and think how we'd want to be treated.
  • Alicia78
    Thinking a lot--pondering--and thinking too much--worrying--are, of course, two different things. Which one do you do more often? I tend to ponder things a lot. I also worry a lot, sometimes too much. It's something I am working on. I think the difference between the two (one of the differences) is the difference between having a thought and a thought having you.
  • That's a good point. I think I do more of pondering than worrying - for the most part. And I like the way you put that about a thought having you!
  • Alicia78
    I like that you are blogging more regularly; your posts make me think.

    This may not be what you are looking for at all but here is what I think: I worked in a trauma center for 4 1/2 years, and I still work in health care. It can be easy for people who have worked in the environment I have to become desensitized to other peoples trouble because, in a sense, we sort of have to in order to do our jobs. But we have to detach or go crazy with how sad it really is sometimes. I have noticed that some of the people who have been doing this job for a long time have lost the empathy that they may have started out with. And, truly, it can be difficult to hang onto it with certain populations--I find myself battling cynicism all the time. To keep my perspective, as simple and trite as it probably sounds, I have to put myself in my patient's position once in a while. When I find myself being flippant, or maybe getting irritated with someone I have to stop and think of how I might feel if I were them, and how I would want someone to treat me. I guess that works outside of work too.
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