It’s a Mad World. This Is How I’m Not Making It Worse.
It’s a Mad World.
This Is How I’m Not Making It Worse.
By Johnny Peters
B Shifter Buckslip, Jan. 13, 2026
People sure are angry, these days. Truth be told, they’ve been angry most days. There are so many people on this planet, someone is bound to be angry. It’s easy to be angry. The world, by which I mean all of creation—animate, inanimate, real and imaginary—is remarkably uncooperative. Everything from the refrigerator door to the guy who won’t let you merge seems hell bent on being disagreeable.
Disagreeable is an adjective, and it applies to anyone who doesn’t go along with what you want. It’s a hell of a thing, all these people and objects that just won’t cooperate. Cooperate is a verb. It means that someone does what you want. Lack of cooperation is used as an excuse for everything from verbal insults to murder. The obstinate refusal of people to simply do what someone else wants, as fast as they want it done, is clearly the cause of all the suffering in the world. The lack of cooperation has reached such a degree that I probably can’t give an example without pissing someone off.
I’ve been known to get pissed off about people not doing what I wanted—probably will get pissed off before the day is through. I work tomorrow, and chances are, I’ll get pissed because someone won’t do something I want.
Well, that’s too damn bad.
The crummy truth of this world is that everyone has their own busy life to lead, and their wants and needs probably don’t run exactly in line with mine. Never mind the traffic lights that weren’t programmed to suit my exact time schedule, or the fragile porcelain mug and its stiff-necked compulsion to obey the “law” of gravity. It’s enough to drive you nuts.
But it’s the world. Getting pissed off doesn’t solve it. Usually makes it worse. It succeeds just enough to convince you that it’s a viable solution. By you, I of course mean me. Us.
We’re all to blame.
You can’t be motivated by anything but the desire to mitigate the emergency. Anger must not be part of it. Nor frustration. Nor any emotion. … You must purge all emotion from your on-scene decisions.
Anger is a tempting response. I’ve thrown enough punches to think that punches are a good solution, even though I know they bring their own problems. They’re the thing you do when you’ve got no option. Anger is one of those emotions that blots out other options. It’s like a black mark over a face in a photo, or in a government document. It damages the picture. It distorts the information.
Entitlement is another one. I don’t know if, properly speaking, it’s an emotion. Maybe it’s best to consider it jet fuel for anger. It’s most dangerous when it cloaks itself in a righteous expectation. For instance, the perfectly reasonable expectation that people yield to emergency traffic. Or that they slow down when passing an accident scene. But not to look over and see the carnage. That they not use barbecue pits indoors. At 3 a.m. That they not have heart attacks at dinner time.
I believe all these are reasonable demands, and I’m sure you’d agree with me at least some of the time. A promising meal can erode our love of humanity when that humanity interferes with consuming the meal. The same can be said of interrupted sleep. It doesn’t get easier when the desired action is not only reasonable but also a mark of good citizenship.
As The Dread Pirate Roberts said: “Get used to disappointment.”
In a world gone bonkers, fight your darker impulses, not the customer. Remaining calm, compassionate and in control helps you solve the problem you were dispatched to resolve without creating a new one.
People have the unfortunate habit of having their own perspective. It is often misdirected, distracted, overwhelmed. It’s easier to think behind the airhorn than it is to think in front of it.
Empathy has lately gotten a bad rap from a significant segment of the population. It is admittedly a dangerous tool. But if you’re going to get through this life peaceably, you’re going to have to pick it up. You cannot manage people in a crisis without it. To be sure, you have to maintain a firm grip on it. Just as you can’t manage a crisis by making it worse, you also can’t manage it by breaking down in tears.
And I’m not asking you to.
I’m not saying being compassionate, kind, courteous, etc., will solve every problem. Some people are so out of control that they can’t be reasoned with. Some are completely in control and just rotten.
But you can’t be motivated by anything but the desire to mitigate the emergency. Anger must not be part of it. Nor frustration. Nor any emotion. Not even the virtuous ones. You must purge all emotion from your on-scene decisions.
That’s impossible, of course. Or nearly so. The perfect fire response is likewise impossible. And yet we keep trying. That is our goal. That is our North Star.
Proper orientation is essential, even if we fail to maintain a perfect course. And of course we will. But we must not entirely lose sight of where we’re supposed to be headed. And we certainly have.
I’m obviously talking about more than the fire service. But the fire service is more than just the fire service. To me, at least. Agree or not, defense of life and property is going to get a hell of a lot harder if we’re at each other’s throats. So before I get too vague, I’m gonna plead with you to really think about how you can apply what I’m saying here to every aspect of your life. Take this one home from work. I think I’m right on this one.
I can control me.
I cannot control others.
It must start with me.
Johnny Peters has been with the Houston Fire Department since last century. In this time, he has successfully gamed the system and was promoted to senior captain, forever freeing himself of the burden of fire hose by hiding in a truck company.