Hide your crazy.

Who knew Miranda Lambert would provide the ultimate voice of reason? She has a song that include the following lyrics:

Now, who knows if Lambert is endorsing her Mama’s viewpoint or that of the current climate that fully supports broadcasting your news for the world to see? She certainly throws out some backhanded compliments about a softer generation and a saving a little face.

But the point remains: we’re not acting like most of us were raised. And we don’t hide things very well.

It is increasingly difficult to open up Facebook or Twitter without seeing someone, anyone and everyone sharing more than you might expect. It comes from celebrities and old friends from high school. Someone’s cheating on someone, someone’s pissed off about something that was said.

We are intolerant of tolerance. In fact, we seem to be struggling, in this modern, social media, culturally, ethically and morally divided era with the application of the word “tolerance” and the right of Freedom of Speech.

Look, for thousands of years people have been different. Different races, creeds, religions. What does it matter, truly? Why do I care if all of my friends and family hold the same belief on God, gays, lesbians, horticulture, the color purple or health insurance?

Why are we so obsessed with everyone agreeing with us? We never seemed to care before.

Perhaps it is due to the world becoming one massive popularity contest. Between reality TV (which is anything but realistic) and the number of likes, followers and retweets – it’s our straw poll of how well we are liked, admired or listened to.

And apparently we all need to be heard.

At least until no one wants to listen. Or until they hear something that offends them so deeply to their core that they just have to point out – with intolerance – how incorrect you are. The simple fact is we often exercise our Freedom of Speech in order to tell someone else what they can’t say.

It is an absurd notion that most likely most will disagree with, yet fully practice themselves.

Case in point: Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the Robertson family showcased on A&E’s hit show “Duck Dynasty”, was put on hiatus for his comments to GQ regarding gays and lesbian lifestyle. There is question now to whether he will return, whether the family will do the show without him and whether advertisers will still support said show if he returns.

GLAAD and the NAACP immediately condemned the remarks – which were Robertson’s personal opinions based off a question in an interview.

This is where it gets murky. Does Robertson represent A&E, or is he representing himself – or something in between – like a brand? These are not actors; they were hired by a television channel to be filmed acting as themselves. Is it really all that surprising that a show that puts a lot of Christianity into their general theme has a main character – who leads grace and prayers at every meal – that might be of the opinion that he doesn’t agree with a lifestyle?

Did I miss something or did Robertson simply state he didn’t agree with their lifestyle choice as it pertains to his faith, which itself is an opinion? Wasn’t he asked for his opinion?

This is where we have really outdone ourselves. We are condemning people for having opinions – popular or unpopular, which is both as intolerant as we say the speaker of said comments is and also basically demanding they not be free to share those opinions – even when asked.

I watch Duck Dynasty and love the show, but I also have friends or family members who are gay. Neither affects my opinions of the other, nor my love for my friends and family. It is not my right to judge, but only to live my life the way I believe best reflects what I personally value – not what values I shove upon other people.

We can respect without disrespect. That’s tolerance.

However, if asked in a setting the same as Robertson was, I’d give my opinion and ultimately make someone unhappy.

Because you can’t win – or break even – anymore in America.

We are divided by so many things, by politics, faith, race, gender, age, industry, intellect, location – that there will always be disagreement and conflicting opinion. It is allowed to exist based on the republican principles the country was created to implore.

Except when it doesn’t meet our criteria – which is, basically, agree with me or else.

It would behoove us to focus a bit more one what we do share in common than what we do not. Seems to be a bit more positive than the negative attention given and drawn from situations in which ultimately impact our lives very, very little.

What benefit do we get out of airing this dirty laundry? Is anyone actually listening when you fire off your written feelings? Isn’t that itself an oxymoron? How can you feel or emote with a status update, genuinely? They are statements.

And we seem to be missing another key point: it is out there now. You can’t take back what you posted; scrub everyone’s eyes and minds of what you said. There opinion of you and whomever you are talking about is partially related to what you post. 

I once read this: “The last thing you know about yourself is your effect.”

Perhaps. But we often tend to think quiet highly of ourselves, our opinions and our effect, thank you very much. However, we don’t understand the impression that we make upon others with these acts of revenge, acts of broadcasting personal information about a shared situation with everyone on our friends list.

People are drawn to drama like moths to a flame, so we spit it out and it confirms that we have supporters out there who think we are smart, attractive, funny or likable.

But what do we think of ourselves? Do we even know anymore or are we so busy branding and marketing ourselves and our crazy that we forgot what tact, a general sense of decency and moral value look like?

Whether or not you are Phil Robertson or the person who loathes what he says does not really matter to your life. What others hear about what’s going on in your life only impacts their impression of you – not the person(s) you are talking about.

So bite your lip.

Get a grip.

Save some face.

Do yourself and the rest of the world a favor.

Hide your crazy.