"It's up to them if they want to be upset about it."

Martin, you are so right! It's up to them. And that is the key to self-mastery right there. Talking and sometimes wrangling with people of many vastly different beliefs for the last 3 years on Mudcat Cafe has had an enormous effect in helping to teach me how not to give my power away pointlessly to other people by letting them push my buttons any old time they don't see something my way. I have learned to have more equanimity and good humour in the process. For that alone it's been worth it.

I think there's plenty of method in your particular brand of "madness".