Life’s Too Short to Be So Serious (Or: Why Are We Yelling About This?)

Question and Thought for the Day February 7, 2025

Thought of the Day: “We’re here on Earth to fart around. Kurt Vonnegut

Question of the Day: What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever seen someone passionately argue about?

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Kurt Vonnegut had it right: We’re here on Earth to fart around. Yet, somehow, people manage to take the most absurd things very seriously. I’ve seen full-blown arguments over things that, in the grand scheme of life, should be ranked somewhere below “What’s the best way to fold a fitted sheet?”

We humans love a good debate. But some hills are just not worth dying on. Take, for instance, the great “is a hot dog a sandwich?” war. Friendships have been tested. Families divided. Lines drawn. And for what? The definition of bread and meat assembly? The passion behind this debate rivals that of political discourse, except one ends with someone saying, “Well, actually…” and the other just ruins Thanksgiving.

Or how about the people who will go to their graves insisting that pineapple on pizza is an abomination, as if their personal taste buds were declared a universal law? I’ve seen someone argue this point with the intensity of a Supreme Court case. Meanwhile, I’m just over here wondering why this is what gets people fired up when we’ve got real issues—like why every grocery store rearranges their layout right after I finally figure out where everything is.

And then there’s the “GIF vs. JIF” battle. It’s a file format, people. The inventor said it’s pronounced “JIF,” but the entire internet rebelled. Imagine creating something useful only for the world to ignore your pronunciation and fight about it endlessly. It’s the modern-day equivalent of naming your kid “Sean” and having everyone call him “Seen.”

At some point, you have to wonder: do we just like arguing? Is there some primal need to prove we’re right, even about things that don’t matter at all? Probably. And honestly, it’s kind of hilarious.

So, next time you see someone red in the face, waving their arms because someone called “Die Hard” a Christmas movie (it is, by the way), just remember: we’re all just farting around on this planet. Maybe we should save our energy for things that matter—like figuring out where all the left socks go in the laundry.

Question of the Day: What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever seen someone passionately argue about? Drop it in the comments—I need a good laugh.