As stupid does. What I mean by that is that stupid is related to doing not being. All too often we label people (being) as stupid. This is an insult to their being. What we should be doing is labeling behavior (doing) as stupid.

We all have done stupid things. Stupidity knows no bounds. It does behoove us to define some of the common ways we do stupid stuff:
Bad analysis is stupid. It is clear that based on the information you made a bad decision.

Willful ignorance is stupid. You chose to ignore information that was readily available should you have chosen to seek it out.

Distraction is stupid. We didn’t pay attention because there were other things pulling our attention away and we made an unfocused decision.

Self destruction is stupid. We don’t choose ourselves as worthy of good decisions and thus do things that harm ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.

I am sure we could break out several more definitions if we wanted to. Fear comes to mind. Fear is stupid because it isn’t real or reasonable. Any way I know I have been guilty of all of these forms of stupidity. And I am sure if you looked inside you might find you have also committed some stupidity in public as well.

None of this means my being is stupid. Far from it. It just means I have done some stupid things. The idea is to recognize stupid actions and fix them. Or at least not keep going down the same stupid road. Stupidity is fixable.

When stupid happens (and it is going to happen) figure out why or what was at the root of the stupidity. What did you miss? What was the blind spot? What can you do to eliminate the blind spot and what information sources can you dig up to stop stupidity in its tracks?

Stupidity can be slowed. Stupidity can be stopped. Stupidity does not have to happen over and over and over again. You need to be aware and vigilant but you can cure stupidity just as we cured childhood diseases…inoculate, be smart and be aware.

Stupidity…it isn’t a death sentence.

John Mariotti

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www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
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