Schopenhauer the button-pressers

“If you come across any special trait of meanness or stupidity … you must be careful not to let it annoy or distress you, but to look upon it merely as an addition to your knowledge—a new fact to be considered in studying the character of humanity. Your attitude towards it will be that of the mineralogist who stumbles upon a very characteristic specimen of a mineral.”

—Arthur Schopenhauer

What a priceless quote.

It can be a tendency of mine to have a short fuse with people I find annoying. And if they’re malicious or angry, it’s even more difficult. The lack of patience is a character flaw.

This is the best image I’ve found to help put my mind in a place of tolerance.

Specifically, I like to think of an entomologist collecting butterflies and other various bugs, pinning them in an old wooden box with glass cover, with beautifully scripted Latin below.

This is the energy I need to have when some clown is running their mouth. “Wow! I’ve never seen such a case of diarrhea of the mouth, I need to catalogue this one!”