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This column is an experiment. Like life.
It is inspired by and at times penned by Mr. Shupe and his particular way of moving through the world. If asked, Mr. Shupe will sometimes reference a stoic mindset: the awareness that external events, the past, and the future are outside our control. We can only control our own attitude, words and actions while attending to the present moment. Stoicism is not the lack of emotion but an ability to step back from and examine emotions with curiosity.
In this spirit, this column is a meditation on happenstances and reactions to the drudgery and amusement of everyday encounters.
by: Mr. Shupe
date: October 9, 2025
My son and his neighbor friend were playing basketball the other day. I went outside to tell Sebastian it was time to eat dinner, but before I could say anything, I noticed he and Rocky were arguing.
S: “Yes you DID have lasagna at our house! You were like 5 at the time.”
R: “Bro, I’ve never had lasagna! And I definitely never had it at your house.”
S: “Dude, I remember it clearly. You sat next to me, and it was the first time we tried lasagna that had bison meat in it. And you loved it!”
A: “Why are you making this up? I’ve never had bison lasagna!!!”
Arguments between people happen all the time. During one of these, one party usually feels they are right - as does the other. The disagreement may be about a memory (like the one above), or about what is the “best” of something, or about what the plan should be, and so on. But in the end, isn’t an argument just a battle of who feels “right” in their position?
Think about how many arguments you’ve had in your life. Now think whether you were able to convince the other person(s) that YOU were right - to the point where the others involved in the disagreement ultimately changed their mind and acknowledged YOUR rightness and subsequently, their own wrongness.
Stop trying to protect your fragile ego. Trying to persuade someone that Zaxby’s is better than Arby’s is an absolute waste of energy.
I mean, really. WTS?
Check out past What the Shupe?! articles:
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