Daily writing prompt

Do you need a break? From what?

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Be honest with yourself — we all need a break from something. Laundry. Deadlines. Group texts that never die. That low-grade sense of dread that shows up around 3 p.m. every Tuesday and whispers, “You still have a long way to go.”

But more than anything else, the thing I desperately need a break from is… stupidity.

Now, before anyone clutches their pearls, let me be clear. I’m not talking about people who struggle with math or can’t spell onomatopoeia (and yes, spell check agrees — that is the correct spelling). Everyone has blind spots. I have plenty of my own. That’s not the issue.

What wears me down is the willful kind of stupidity. The deliberate, doubled-down, proudly uninformed variety. The kind that ignores facts, rejects expertise, and then demands to be taken seriously anyway. The kind that’s not accidental, but almost… performative.

This is the brand of nonsense that seeps into every corner of modern life. It shows up in the news. It hijacks conversations. It struts around in outrageous outfits, makes dumb decisions at full volume, and then acts offended when anyone dares to ask a follow-up question. It’s exhausting.

It’s the kind of stupidity that makes you briefly worry about the future of humanity. The kind that has you screaming into a pillow or fantasizing about moving to a remote island where your closest companion is a volleyball named Wilson — and honestly, Wilson seems like a pretty good conversationalist by comparison.

What’s worse is realizing how often we go looking for information in all the wrong places, and then wonder why our enjoyment of life’s simple pleasures keeps getting hijacked. Somewhere along the way, being loud replaced being thoughtful, and confidence became more valuable than competence.

So yes — I need a break. Maybe not permanent (though I’m open to negotiations), but a real one. A break from the constant barrage of nonsense. From stupid statements, reckless decisions, manufactured outrage, and people who confuse ignorance with authenticity.

Is anyone with me on this? Or am I just officially turning into the old man yelling at the clouds?

Feel free to let me know in the comments.
(Unless you’re planning on being stupid. In that case, for the love of all that is holy, please just keep scrolling.)

Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.