our opinion : COLUMN
Last Word
The
BY MARK BROWN
Just Shut Up
JUNE 2016 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
Want to know the secret to a better life ?
It ’ s simple . Keep quiet !
Seriously , one of the biggest problems that plague our society today is that just about everyone talks way too much .
Some people you associate with will demand it .
There are way too many people out there that tend to go to great lengths to extract every last detail out of the lives out of everybody else . They want to know every last gory detail . Most people just love to talk , to tell all , to analyze . So , whatever category you fall into , you will have a much smoother life if only you , first , manage to stay out of other people ’ s business , and , secondly , you somehow manage to resist the compelling urge to tell everyone everything about everything .
It ’ s OK . They really don ’ t need to know . Families , businesses , circles of friends — none of them are immune . It doesn ’ t matter what group of people you ’ re dealing with . Loose talk has caused misery , incited wars , agony , it ’ s destroyed relationships , torn apart marriages and sometimes entire families
… the list goes on .
Ever heard the expression , “ Loose lips sink ships ?” The meaning of the cliché is “ beware of unguarded talk .”
The phrase dates back to the midst of World War II . It was actually created to alert military and civilians of the vital need to shut up , to alert them to avoid getting caught up in careless talk or spreading any kind of sensitive or classified information to the wrong people . A lot of people who were working in the defense industry , in factories and other industries that provided support to the U . S . military , would inadvertently pass along data pertaining to ship movements and other sensitive information , hence the reference to ships . As a reporter once said about Admiral Chester W . Nimitz as he took over command of the Pacific fleet , “ he was reasonably frank about saying nothing .” Nimitz had the right idea .
I ’ ll give you some words that I try to live by . First of all , “ When in doubt , shut up .”
Secondly , “ less is best .” Just beware of the busybody .
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