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DaltonMerriweather

In Praise of What Works

Essays on common sense, loyalty, and the courage not to overthink.

Why I’m voting Republican

The Virtue of Not Overthinking

This week  ·  4 min read

There is a kind of man who reads everything, and I have noticed he is never happy. He knows the counterargument to every argument, including his own. He cannot enjoy a ballgame because he has read about the knees. He cannot enjoy his country because he has read about its history. He has, as they say, done the reading, and the reading has done him.

I want to make the case for the other man. He settles a question once and then gets on with his life. When someone brings him new information, he asks the only question that matters: does this change anything I care about? Usually it does not, and he goes back to his supper.

People call this closed-mindedness. I call it peace. A mind is like a house. You can leave every door open to whatever wanders in off the street, or you can decide what belongs there and lock up at night. Our grandparents locked up at night. They slept fine.

Notice that the people who most want you to “think critically” never seem to arrive at any conclusion but their own. Notice, too, how tired they look. Thinking, past a certain point, is not a virtue. It is a symptom.

So here is my modest advice. Decide what you believe while you are young and healthy and clear-headed, and then protect it the way you would protect anything else you love. You do not reconsider your wife every morning. Why would you reconsider your convictions?

The happiest people I know are not the best informed. I don’t think that is a coincidence. I think it is the whole point.

D. M.

The happiest people I know are not the best informed.

From “The Virtue of Not Overthinking”

Contents

Fifty essays on Texas, in five parts. Start with whichever one has been on your mind.

This Fall

  1. Why I’m Voting Republican for the SenateI read the other fellow’s whole platform, start to finish. I wish I hadn’t. It all sounded so reasonable.5 min

Money and Work

  1. In Praise of the Property Tax BillThe envelope comes every year, and every year it reminds me what I own.4 min
  2. The Patience of the WealthyRich men are not lucky. They are patient, and they can afford to wait on the tax man.4 min
  3. In Defense of a Modest PaycheckMy first job paid next to nothing and taught me everything. I wish that for everybody.4 min
  4. The Generosity of Our Corporate NeighborsA great company chose our little town. The least we could do was make it worth their while.4 min
  5. The Dignity of RentA young couple living under somebody else’s roof is learning something a homeowner forgets.4 min
  6. My Premium, My PrideMy insurance agent called with bad news. I took it as a compliment to the house.4 min
  7. Why I Trust the Big CompaniesThere used to be choices on every corner. I don’t miss them, and I’ll tell you why.4 min
  8. The Character-Building Second JobThe man who works days and nights is not to be pitied. He is being made.4 min
  9. The Blessing of Expensive ChildcareThe price of daycare is the best argument for the family I have ever heard.4 min
  10. Let Them Keep ItI will never be rich, and I will defend the rich until I die. I don’t think that’s strange.4 min

Health

  1. The Freedom of Going WithoutTexas leads the country in people who carry no health insurance. I have decided to be proud of it.4 min
  2. Why We Were Right to Say NoMy father never borrowed a ladder. Texas has never needed to borrow one either.4 min
  3. The Quiet of a Closed HospitalWhen the lights go off in a small-town hospital, something else comes on. I think it is community.4 min
  4. Insulin and GratitudeWe used to thank the people who made our medicine. Now we argue with them about the price.4 min
  5. One Choice Is PlentyThe cereal aisle has ruined us. A man only needs one box, and he needs it to be the same box.4 min
  6. The Emergency Room Is a PlanPeople say the uninsured have no health plan. They have one. It is open all night.4 min
  7. Why a Good Doctor WaitsI have always trusted a doctor who takes his time. I trust him more when he checks with a lawyer first.4 min
  8. In Praise of the Long DriveOut in the country, a baby is born at the end of a long road. I think the road is good for the family.4 min
  9. Prayer Is My CopayWhen a family in our town gets a hospital bill, the whole town gets it too. I call that the church working.4 min
  10. Toughing It OutMy father never told anybody what was bothering him. I have come to think of that as a gift.4 min

Schools and Children

  1. A Billion Dollars Well SpentThe money is going to families who already chose well. I can’t think of a better address for it.4 min
  2. The Country School Can WaitEvery small town in Texas now has a choice. That some of them have only one is not the point.4 min
  3. A Little Suffering Never Hurt a TeacherTeaching is a calling. I would hate for us to ruin it by paying for it.4 min
  4. Why the Lord Needs Our HelpThe Commandments have lasted a very long time. I think they deserve better than to go on alone.5 min
  5. In Praise of a Short ShelfI haven’t read the books they took off the shelves. That is how I know I trust the people who did.4 min
  6. The Well-Tested ChildA child who has been measured is a child you know. I can’t say that about the other kind.4 min
  7. Children Are ResilientI have not followed the court case. I have followed the children, and they seem to be managing.4 min
  8. The Crowded Classroom Builds CharacterA full room teaches a child the one lesson a small room never can: nobody is coming.4 min
  9. The Hungry SummerFeeding a child is a family’s sacred duty. I would not want the state to take that away from anyone.4 min
  10. The Humble Retirement of a TeacherShe gave her whole life to other people’s children. The least we can do is not spoil her now.4 min

Land, Power and Water

  1. In Praise of CandlesWhen the lights went out, I learned what my family needs. It was never a hearing.4 min
  2. A Grid of Our OwnOther states share their power. We keep ours. That is the difference between a tenant and an owner.4 min
  3. Welcome, Data CenterI don’t know what goes on inside that building. I know a good neighbor when I see a fence that nice.4 min
  4. Why I Only Trust One Kind of EnergyOil and gas built this state. I see no reason to let the weather have a say.5 min
  5. The Dry Well Teaches PatienceWhen the water stops, you learn what you can live without. No pipe has ever taught a man that.4 min
  6. Water Breaks Are for the WeakA man who stops for water every time he’s thirsty will stop for anything.4 min
  7. The Hot CellPrison is not supposed to be comfortable. I have simply followed that thought all the way into July.4 min
  8. The Farmer AdaptsNobody has more practice at hard times than a farmer. I would hate to be the one who took that from him.4 min
  9. The Unconnected RanchOut where the signal ends, a family still has to talk to each other. I call that a blessing, not a gap.4 min
  10. Building in the Flood PlainA man’s land is his own, and so is the creek that runs through it. I don’t need a siren to know my water.5 min

Government and Faith

  1. Knowing the Score Before the GameSome suspense is good for a ballgame. None of it is good for a state.4 min
  2. The Generous DonorA man who gives that much is not buying anything. He is showing you how much he cares.4 min
  3. The State Knows BestWashington is too far away to understand us. Austin is exactly the right distance.4 min
  4. In Praise of the Long LineThe best brisket in the state has a line around the building. Nobody calls that a problem.4 min
  5. A Little Grace for the PowerfulWe forgive the man at the bottom every day. The man at the top could use some too.4 min
  6. The Stranger at the GateA fence with a gate in it is only half a fence.4 min
  7. Who Builds the HousesI like my new porch. I have decided not to wonder too hard about whose hands were on it.4 min
  8. Charity Is EnoughThe Lord asked us to give. He never asked us to make giving unnecessary.5 min
  9. The Comfortable GospelFaith ought to feel like the family pew: worn in, familiar, and shaped exactly to you.4 min
  10. Why I Keep My Neighbor at a DistanceA friendly wave across the street is all the neighboring a man can safely afford.4 min

People Worth Admiring

A standing list of the kinds of Americans who don’t get enough credit.

  • The Man Who Never Changed His Mind

    Forty years, same opinions. You can set your watch by him, and you always know where you stand.

  • The Uncle Who Has It Figured Out

    He doesn’t need to watch the news. He can already tell you how it ends.

  • The Boss Who Never Apologized

    Every apology is a small letter of resignation. He never wrote one.

  • The Neighbor Who Doesn’t Look It Up

    When he tells you something, he tells you with his whole chest. That is worth more than a citation.

About the Author

Dalton Merriweather writes about the things that work: family, faith, loyalty, and the good sense most people are born with and some people are educated out of.

He lives in the middle of the country with his wife, two dogs, and no regrets. He has never once been accused of overthinking.

This site is political satire, published by Moria Media in the tradition of Erasmus’s The Praise of Folly. Dalton Merriweather is a fictional character, and his opinions are written to be read ironically. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Not paid political advertising. Full disclaimer.