It’s amazing what people let bother them these days.

A friend posted something today criticizing Buc-ee’s—a quirky and beloved roadside stop for many travelers. He called it “a Walmart with a gas pump,” clearly unimpressed. But what struck me wasn’t his take—it was the energy it took to even care. If you don’t like Buc-ee’s… don’t go. That’s the beauty of personal choice.

But his jab wasn’t really about a convenience store. I think it was aimed at something bigger—capitalism, consumerism, or maybe just the cultural noise of the moment. And that’s what we’re all getting swept into: a culture of constant opinion-sharing and outrage, often about things that, in the grand scheme of life, don’t matter.

Take, for example, the recent protests on “Kings Day.” Some claimed it was a reaction to Trump supposedly calling himself a king. But he never said that. It doesn’t matter though—the narrative had already taken off, media outlets picked it up, emotions got high, and once again we had anger in the streets.

It’s a pattern:

1. Someone proposes a fringe idea.
2. The media gives it oxygen.
3. People, already stirred up, take sides.
4. A spark hits the powder keg—and now we’re dealing with real violence.

We’ve seen it again and again: shootings, looting, deepening division.

All for what?

Here’s a radical thought: What if people just focused on their own lives, their own actions, and the way they treat others? What if we stopped inserting our outrage into everything? If we spent less time being bothered by Buc-ee’s, less time crafting clever insults about people we’ll never meet, and more time being present for our families, our work, and our communities… wouldn’t that be a better use of our energy?

We don’t need to silence people. But we could all benefit from a little intentional quiet. A little grace. A little restraint. Not every opinion needs a podium. Not every disagreement needs a battle.

Maybe the peace we want in the world starts with the peace we choose in our own hearts.