Cheap shots

“Tune out the cheap shots people take at you. Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.” ~Angel Chernoff

These days, I have to limit the amount of time I listen to the news. Political rhetoric is nastier than ever. Sometimes I’m tempted to risk being uninformed — even though I know better. At the end of the day, what worries me most is the fact that the brutal political rhetoric has a ripple effect on the folks we encounter in our daily lives. Road rage is worse than ever. People don’t smile as much. (One of my doctors told me recently that too many patients are suddenly inquiring about anxiety medications.)

It’s important to spot the difference between constructive criticism and “cheap shots,” as Angel Chernoff points out in today’s quote. Cheap shots, or deliberately nasty comments, are destructive to our personal, political, and professional relationships. They erode our mental health. We need to remind ourselves that cheap shots only reflect the character of the people who made them. ~CL