As the 4th of July weekend approaches, Americans prepare for celebrations, family meals, and gatherings. Considering the political landscape after the Supreme Court decision, emotions are running high on many, regardless of what side of the issue you may find yourself in. There will be numerous informal invitations to defend your case, state your argument and even choose sides.

I make the case that you do not have to accept those invitations to argue. You can gracefully decline to comment or you can also simply state your position and be done with it, without trying to convince anyone. One thing the age of social media has ushered in, is the assumption that regular people are expected and almost required to make some sort of public statement when there is a hot news cycle. Well, you don’t, and I don’t.

I’ve always found immense value in people who just go about their lives certain of their path and without constantly trying to convince everyone to join their team, although they would be welcoming if anyone did want to come to their side. Leading by example is a quality that is bound to have a greater impact than many virtue-signaling speeches. This is sometimes easier said than done, of course, because when emotions are raw they often affect our ability to stay calm and rational.

Regardless, go into it with an organized and clear mindset, knowing that you (and me) can choose which open doors to enter and debate, and which doors to pass by.