Pop the popcorn

There's a minor argument (I'd call it a "wankfest" but that's a ruder word than what I would normally use on here) spooling out via e-mail.

It's an argument, an issue, that does not touch on my life at all, but I'm an unwilling party to all the gall and bile that's being spewed.

I find myself of two minds about these: I know some people use it as an opportunity to people-watch, to figuratively pop some popcorn, crack a cold soda, and sit back and be entertained. I can't do that. It distresses me to see people that I had pegged as responsible adults behaving like petty children. (Seriously? You have a problem with one person and you sent your screed to everyone on the e-mail list? Just because you want everyone to know how upset you are with them?)

I will say I am ENORMOUSLY grateful that this is something that doesn't touch my world at all, that I can just ignore the angry accusations. One of the great gifts of maturity that I've gained is realizing that you can choose your battles, and that a lot of the time, you can just keep your mouth shut, that you don't have to weigh in on a topic if you don't want to. I've gone to plenty meetings lately where I told myself walking in, "You don't have a dog in this hunt. Just keep your ears open and your mouth closed." Realizing you don't have to contribute something, that you don't have to be the "fixer" who comes up with the grand solution, that it's really OK to let people fight it out sometimes, is a huge relief.