Have you ever had friends mock something that you are super passionate about? I’ve definitely had that happen to me in regards to being a writer, speaker, and youtuber. It’s certainly been frustrating because I’ve felt like, “This thing is so important to me and I can’t believe they don’t support/encourage/whatever…” Recently I have begun to have a change of heart about how I view these things and I’m a little embarrassed to admit that it didn’t happen sooner.
One thing that I have known since I started blogging in 2013 is the fact that a lot of the subject matter I bring up is difficult for people to deal with in their own lives. Nobody wants to talk openly about their lack of discipline with money, or the fact that they watch porn all the time because their marriage is sexless, or the fact that they binge sweets at night when everybody else is asleep. I don’t mind talking about my vices but it’s a challenge for others and I consider it my duty to help people find the courage to face these things honestly. Sometimes I do that by making light of these topics and trying to make people laugh about it. That has me thinking, “Nothing should be unmockable to include my dreams.” I don’t think unmockable is a word but I think you get my point.
I don’t want to take myself too seriously. I think if I allow myself to carry on in the pattern of sensitivity to indifference by the people closest to me it’s a sign of a lack of humility. I’m not sure what the right words are but it’s sort of like, if a thing can’t be mocked, then it’s almost as if we are saying that thing doesn’t have flaws. There are definitely flaws in my communication and errors in my logic. Furthermore, the mocking and indifference is something that helps me remember that people have to grow at their own pace, not at my prompting.
The other thing about a sensitivity to being mocked is the fact that it’s indicative of a need to be validated by the source of the mocking. To be honest with you, I mock people I love and respect all the time because I’m just poking fun or I’m in disagreement with something they’re doing and I’m trying to unpack their logic (while having a little fun). Something I used to say a long time ago is that your dreams are yours. It’s nobody else’s responsibility to understand them or celebrate them. We have to resist the need for validation from others and remain confident in our endeavors even when those closest to us have little in the way of encouragement.
If we can’t be mocked we’ve either become too sensitive or too serious about ourselves or both. It’s not the condition we want as we seek personal growth. I think being able to take in stride everything from light-hearted joking about what I do, to bitter vitriol is a good thing and the maturity I should seek around the activities I hold dear. What about you?
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Travis Daigle 
Teresa, thank you for sharing! I think it’s one of those things that has to come with age and experience. Your grand kids are so young and they just don’t know what they don’t know. They still have the luxury of looking at everything through rose colored glasses because they don’t carry the responsibility of caring for others, job, home, thinking about getting old etc.
If you can’t laugh at yourself, then what who or what can you laugh at? The older I get, the more bluntly honest I can be with myself. I guess that’s the wisdom that comes with 50 on up. Well, not for all, but for most. If one can laugh at themselves or have a sense of humor while trying to understand the other person, I think that’s a good thing. Those that get what you are saying in this blog earlier in life are blessed. I believe social media has (for some people) exaggerated the need for validation outside of themselves. Sure, we all feel the need for it for a variety of reasons, but when it takes up a lot of person’s time and energy, then it becomes unhealthy.
Here’s an example: I have a little Youtube channel with close to 600 subs. It’s primarily faith based and the family dogs playing. It’s fun and it’s a hobby. I generally get positive feedback from people that get something out of it. That’s basically my goal on my vlogs on social media. I am not interested in a whole bunch of views for validation. My grandkid and teenage son make fun of it for not having a whole lot of views. Besides being disrespectful to their grandmother and mom (at least in my opinion they are) they don’t understand even after gently explaining it, that my purpose is not about becoming some big content creator who makes their primary income from social media, it’s about being a light even if it’s just for one person. Perhaps one day, as they grow older, they will gain the wisdom you have already gained.