Be serious, but don’t take yourself too seriously

“Always be serious, but never take yourself too seriously.”

That’s a quote I heard from General Douglas MacArthur in his farewell address to the cadets at West Point. I had a subscription to G. Edward Griffin’s audio series called “The Reality Zone” about 15 years ago, and MacArthur’s address was on one of the shipments I received – on CD no less, who still listens to those?

At any rate, it is advice that has served me well throughout the years. Not that I’ve always heeded it, mind you. There have been times I’ve taken myself, and what I’m doing, way too seriously.

But sometimes you just need to take a pill and put things in perspective.

Podcasts often talk about serious topics, but let’s keep it real. It’s not court, it’s not therapy. It’s usually someone on the other end who has something of value to promote, and the podcast is a means of promoting it. It’s entertainment at the end of the day – especially the free ones on Apple, Spotify, etc.

A Facebook group, or some other social platform, exists to build community among like-minded people. It’s not a means of expressing indignity at social injustice. Unless the Facebook group is dedicated to that particular social injustice, best to keep your yapper flapped.

An orchestra has high standards, but if something goes wrong, it’s just a piece of music. No need to get your skivvies in a wad if someone chips a note. Someday you’ll chip a note, and you’ll hope others forgive you as you’ve forgiven them.

Now I’m getting all biblical on y’all, but you get the point.

Be good at what you do, have high standards, but the world will keep on spinning if you miss a day of practice, if you miss a note, if your podcast isn’t up to the highest artistic standards.

We all have lives, we probably won’t notice it’s not perfect anyway.