Philosophy: The “Ostrich Approach”

Most days, someone ends up asking me for my opinion on recent events – the notable people who have died these last couple months (most common being Michael Jackson and/or Ted Kennedy that I get asked about), or what I think about the political struggle of [insert nation/race here], or even more close-to-home, like things going on in Seattle.

More often that not, I get accused of being callous or something for simply shrugging my shoulders and saying I don’t have an opinion – or even more fun, telling them that I’m not aware what they are talking about. They don’t grasp that I have an approach to life that I feel works well for me: if it doesn’t affect my day-to-day (either directly or indirectly), and won’t affect me in the near-future, I don’t really care that much.

I call it the “Ostrich Approach”, because ostriches are known for the whole ‘head in the sand, oblivious to the world’ thing they’ve got going on, and that kind of fits how it is. I didn’t know Ted Kennedy, Michael Jackson, Billy Mays, Farah Fawcett or any of the other celebs personally, and they had no impact on my life indirectly, so I have no real opinion*.

Callous and/or cold would probably be what I hear most often about my lack of interest in events that I feel don’t concern me. I’m not a strict adherent to this policy, though – when the loss of life is involved needlessly, I do find it wrong. I don’t support things like direct military action (as has been proposed by a few people I know in response to the Iran issues) against someone who hasn’t directly wronged us, or things like that, but I feel pity when lives are taken senselessly**.

I have morals, despite people calling my approach “immoral”, “cruel”, “heartless”, and other, similar things. I have a heart, and do care. Just not about [insert celebrity here]’s death, divorce, day-to-day life minutiae, et cetera, or what the city of Olympia decided to do with such-and-such business, etc. It doesn’t affect me in any way, shape, or form, so… why should I care***? :)

 

*Other than the opinion (read: fact) that Billy Mays, even in death, could whoop the shit out of Vince the Shamwow Hooker Puncher.
**In my opinion, any life taken forcefully is a life taken senselessly.
***And those I do care about know it. If it affects my friends directly and they come to me, then it affects me, and I care. :)