Thanks to new technologies, people are  bombarded as never before with irrelevant rhetoric. TV ads consititute much of the irrelevant rhetoric that annoys and causes people to have stress and experience other emotional deficits. Also extraneous conversations, the talking a person hears that may or may not be directed to him but occurs in his listening environment. This may occur in the classroom where there is an incompetent teacher or in a church where there is an irrelevant sermon delivered. The effect is the same wherever and whenever a person is exposed to verbiage that annoys or causes vexation and has no social redeeming value.

Usually, irrelevant rhetoric consists of half-truth or less and is designed to deceive and mislead. Here are two examples: A TV ad declaring that the advertised products will prevent a person from having cancer, with the caveat a person should see his doctor before taking it because it may cause your kidneys to malfunction or you to suffer from a litany of other health problems. The second example is a TV ad sponsored by right-wing Obama-hate demagogues announcing that the Obamacare (Affordable Health Care Act) will deny people medicine and "pull the plug on Grandma," notwithsanding the fact that Obamacare will allow 30 million uninsured people to have health care.

How are we to deal with this verbiage that is, in fact, garbage that should be flushed down the sewage drain, even though there it may add pollution to the environment? Well, you may not be able to flush it down the sewage drain, but there are tested techniques I have used effectively to minimize and for the most part eliminate the negagtive effects of irrelevant rhetoric on my psyche that previously caused me to have stress, be irritated and angry.

When the rirrelevant TV or Radio ad begins to be displayed, I sing one of these two-crescendo-oriented songs, "Born Free" or "A Mighty God is Our Fortress." I enjoy my singing while the ad or ads are being presented. And I do not have to touch my TV remote.

When there is chatter in my listening environment that I don't want to hear even when it is not purposefully directed toward me but I have a reason to remain in that environment I recite aloud or express silently the beginning and ending of the 101-word poem, "Life is Delectable," I composed about tweenty-five years ago. It begins with "It's a great day to be alive" and ends with "This is the eternal now, the delectable state that it is." I repeat the poem as long as I want to free my mind from the chatter. Sometimes I engage in mindful meditation which consists of taking several deep breaths and saying aloud or expressing silently "om... om... om.. ." I also use these techniques when I am engaged with one or more persons in a face-to-face extraneous conversation.

No longer am I bored, upset, stressed, nervously impatient or angry when exposed to irrelevant or inapplicable talk. Employing the aforementioned coping strategies I have no need to use the defense mechanisms I previously used such as pretending, enduring emotional pain and settling to continue to listen to aggravated TV ads, chatter and extraneous conversation. Now, using these coping strategies I am able to tune-out what I don't want to hear and tune-in what I want to hear. When feasible I can refuse to listen to inapplicable rhetoric without feeling guilty.

This is my offering to people who desire to cope effectively with the imposition of TV ads, chatter and extraneous conversation that has no social redeeming value.

Allow the period when irrelevant rhetoric pervades your listening space to be a blessing, not a curse. And let what was intended by would-be deceivers to persuade or brainwash you be an opportunity for you to sing, recite poetry and mindfully meditate. It will be helpful to use as your mantra  "Life is delectable."

Copyright 2013 by Uriah J. Fields