Notes By The Wayside #32 – The Man Who Refuses to Mock

There’s always an easier laugh to be had.

At someone else’s expense.

At something sacred.

At something weak.

But the man who chooses not to mock holds a different kind of strength.

He doesn’t need to bond through cruelty.

He doesn’t need to posture with jokes.

He doesn’t need to tear down what others are trying to build.

Mockery feels powerful in the moment. It gets attention. It wins the room. But it leaves nothing behind but noise—and a trail of people who learn not to trust you.

Restraint leaves more.

Let others burn the easy fuel. You walk with something cleaner. Something steadier.

The man who refuses to mock becomes a man people remember—because he made it safe to be real in his presence.