Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for July 25, 2022

Booze can be the response you choose, Rat.

Rat would probably take the GWA’s advice to mean, “Punch the other guy harder.”

There’s a little bit of Rat in all of us.

he’s the wise-ass, not the easy or convenient-ass Rat!

Actually controlling your response is frequently an illusion. We all tend to react to life by the way we were brought up, and what we learned as life went on. Unfortunately a lot of the responses we learned are not healthy response.

The good news is that our default responses can be changed by relearning how we address life. It is not easy, and it takes time; but it can be done, if you want to do it.

Basic Stoicism.

Wiseass, rather than half-assed, approach to life’s problems

Watch the booze Rat, you’ll fry your liver!

Booze is a response you control.

Rat didn’t really (doesn’t ever) want some real advise or wisdom.

He just wants to hear what he wants to hear.

“Here’s to alcohol, the cause and cure to all of life’s problems!” – Homer Simpson

Booze is solution, Rat. But not for life’s problems.

One of my biggest life lessons occurred when I was sitting in traffic (again) and getting upset at all the idiots on the road. It occurred to me that I was letting others determine my mood. Since then I decide for myself if I want to get upset at something or not. Usually not. Just too much of a waste of time, especially when I have no influence over it.

My Brother introduced me to a phrase this weekend; Smell the flowers, blow out the candles. If something irritates us now we will simply text that phrase or a meme I found of it. :-)

Booze is one way many people respond to life.

It just occurred to me that the wise-A seems to be perched on a hill of dung.

Hey Rat…that’s called cognitive dissonance when we don’t hear what we want to hear. But just keep shopping around…eventually someone will validate your opinion (probably a drunk) and you can say “we all agree that it’s booze that gets us thru life.”

Booze is one way to respond.

Booze is hot Rat responds!

The Wise-ass is correct

See Rat, you CAN control

oh god :_D

That donkey sure knows how to tell it like it is.

Choosing to drink is a response, so he did say “booze”, but in a roundabout way.

Booze only makes it worse Rat!

https://www.gocomics.com/pickles/2022/07/25

but it can be posted in the comic spelled out.

Booze does not drown your problems. It irrigates them. Getting drunk can be a response. Not necessarily a positive one, though.

Booze is a valid response.

He should have gone to The Wise Andy Capp in the Canal.

♫ Yes you who must leave everything that you cannot control. It begins with your family, but soon it comes around to your soul. ♫ L. Cohen

Also, anger. Most anger comes from being or feeling disrespected. When you identify it you can quell the anger.

Sorry, Rat, but booze is not always the answer.

He did. You weren’t paying attention……

He didn’t say “not booze”

But, he DID!

What’s your poison, Rat?

Technically you can respond with booze.

The wise a$$ finally got an answer right.

Thank you, wise donkey. That’s very deep.

The answer should be booze, of course. He’s just being an a s s… :D

This is the basis of Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy, developed by Albert Ellis. He said that, when confronted by what we might initially perceive as a horrible event, we should question our negative reaction to it to see if it is really that horrible. In essence, he said we could talk ourselves out of the negative feelings we have, and look at it more rationally. As a former counselor, I used this with quite a few people, and it has helped me on many occasions.

In a way he did, Rat.

You’re morally, ethically and psychologically right. Still, I find it refreshing and cathartic to scream vituperation at all those idiots, who are everyone but me. I should add that I scream my vituperation, and not all that loudly, with windows shut. (I may be an angry driver, but I’m not suicidal.)

I guess WiseAss is saying that you can choose to be happy when other people are stupid.

Yeah, right.

So, the cartoon can say A.s.s. but we can’t?

Be what you need to be when the situation calls for it.

Booze is a response…

Boozing is indeed a response…whether or not it’s a good response is open for interpretation

Booze can be a choice if you’re not addicted.

Booze happens to me, and I respond by drinking it.

Booze is a response to what happens to you in life. So, Pig really got the response he wanted

Something my dad often said. He passed on last week. May he rest in peace.

And you have also done good to your mental and physical health!

Just pretend he did, Rat. Nobody will know the difference, nor care….

No.

When I’m driving and some goofball does something stupid to annoy me, I pretend that they’re rushing to the hospital to try and say goodbye to their mother before she dies. And that they miss.

Sometimes it just feels good to vent!