4. Beef

Not beef to eat, but beef as in useless disputes, feuds, donnybrooks, and contretemps. Too much of the year’s social schedule was defined by beef. I mean, people in our group always beefed, but they didn’t let it actually affect events and hanging out. Now it just keeps going to other levels. People were actually banned from people’s homes this year. Crazy. Not attending parties of people who have nothing to do with your disputes? Ridiculous. Knifing threats? Absurd. I’m sorry, people should be able to handle these kind of differences better, and it’s just plain stupid. I include myself in that, by the way. Luckily I was involved in one of the less serious ones. Here’s the way to go: don’t talk about it and don’t burden people with it. Use their apathy to win folks over. If they don’t feel like they have to choose sides and you’re not pressuring them, it’s unbelievable what a difference that can make.

 

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