Bullshit (noun): stupid or untrue talk; nonsense. 
Vigilance (noun): keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties.

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On his last night on the  The Daily Show, I heard Jon Stewart say there were three kinds of bullshit. He said, “Bullshit… is everywhere. From the innocuous exaggerations that make our life sweeter to intentional cover-ups that try to mislead us away from the truth”.  He went on to say that bullshit was unavoidable and that…

the best offense against bullshit was not defense, but vigilance.

He was right. Once upon a time, I had let my own bullshit lead me far away from the truth. As a result, I had gotten very good at bullshitting others. I created circles of bullshit that reinforced more bullshit. Until, one day. When someone wouldn’t stop asking me questions about the bullshit I was saying, and they called me out. It hadn’t been the first time someone had called me out. My reaction would have been the same as before,  to protect and project that they were the ones full of shit except for the smell.

I was suddenly aware of the smell of shit that I was stinking up my life.

There is a reason we become so accustomed to the smell of our own shit. It’s why people prefer to smell their own farts. According to Huffington Post, “the more familiar you are with something, whether it be a song, picture, or even a smell, the more likely you are to prefer it.” More often than not it takes someone else who is surprised or offended by the smell to tell us. From an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense. The reason why other people’s farts smell so bad is that this smell mechanism helps us avoid interacting with sources of disease. 

When people are full of shit, they put up a sign that says, “don’t ask me any questions” because A) They don’t want to tell you the answer. B) They don’t want an answer. Or C) they never thought to ask themselves that question. 

You can’t assume which category they fall until you smell something, and say something!

The day I watched Jon Stewart give his farewell speech I went on a walk with a friend. I was telling her about Jon’s farewell speech when a couple walked passed by us and the woman turned around and called my name. 

The last time I saw her, we were little more than strangers on a business trip in 2008, sitting at the bar at The W Hotel in Time Square. For a really long time, until we both smelled something terrible. She told me that our conversation that night changed the course of her life forever because “I had believed that the truth was deep inside of her—she just couldn’t see it”. Or smell it until then. 

She also asked me if I remembered how much she cried. I did, but instead, I said no. I admit this was “innocuous bullshit” on my part to make her feel better. Jon did say that bullshit is unavoidable, we might as well use it for good and not evil. Besides, we were out in the open air, she could barely smell anything.

Thank you, Jon.

Your fan,

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