Heart surgery doesn’t make you wiser.
It makes arguments more expensive.
After your chest is opened, you begin to feel—physically—which debates are worth the stress and which are simply noise.
Most fall into the second category.
Here are ten things I no longer argue about.
1. Other People’s Opinions of Me
If my heart nearly stopped because of years of pressure and stress, I am not rebuilding my life around strangers’ judgments.
The approval of others will not keep my arteries open.
2. Winning Arguments Online
No one ever healed from stress by winning a war of words in a comment section.
Online outrage trains the nervous system to stay activated. Unnecessary stress.
My body has no margin left for unnecessary stress.
3. Being “Right” When It Costs Peace
I have never subscribed to SIGN language:
Shame
Insults
Guilt
Need to be right
Being correct is cheap.
Being calm is valuable.
I’ve learned that silence often preserves more and speaks better than explanation ever could.
4. Politics as Identity
Caring about outcomes is reasonable.
Letting politics dominate your emotional state is not.
My heart does not care who you voted for.
It cares how often you spike cortisol. Mine as well as your own.
I won’t break down the fallacious logic behind political ideology, just know that keeping people divided by ideology doesn’t serve anyone well unless you are a politician.
More unnecessary stress. Misdirected in this case.
5. Explaining Boundaries to People Who Disrespect Them
If someone repeatedly crosses my boundaries, explaining myself is just wasted energy.
I enforce now.
I don’t try to persuade.
6. Accept Other People’s Chaos Disguised as Passion
Some people call volatility “intensity” or “being real.”
My body reads it correctly:
Unnecessary stress.
I step away without apology.
7. Proving Toughness
Real toughness is waking up calm.
Real toughness is restraint.
Real toughness is longevity.
Posturing is the exclusive province of men who haven’t truly paid a physical price yet.
Toughness is handling what life throws at you and learning from it to become better. Period.
8. Competing Where There Is No Finish Line
Endless competition—status, money, attention—never ends (well).
Yes, I know that sentence is redundant 😉
I choose to play the game with appropriate exit strategies now when I see a particular pursuit no longer serves me.
9. Defending Myself Against Misunderstanding
Not being understood is survivable.
Chronic stress is not.
I let people be wrong about me.
It’s wasted effort to do anything other than let the truth speak for me.
Truth is like a lion, it doesn’t require a defense; it can defend itself.
10. Living As If Time Is Infinite
Time is not a resource you “manage.”
It is a debt you pay daily.
I no longer argue with reality.
Heart surgery doesn’t make life smaller.
It makes it sharper.
You don’t stop caring about time.
You stop wasting time.
That is not withdrawal.
That is discipline.
Discipline is the key to a fulfilling life.
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 
