Where Did My Filter Go?

Recently, I have noticed I have started to lose something. I used to keep track of it, modify it, respect it and overall, use it.  Lately, however, it is missing.  Not entirely. Just enough that I noticed.  No, not my favorite pair of earrings or lip gloss. I'm referring to my filter. 

When you begin a new adventure, such as a job or school, you are introduced to a colorful cast of characters. Out of basic respect and fear of eating alone, you're most likely nice and polite and respond with nervous laughter at the loud guy's not funny jokes.  Until you have done that bit one too many times. And you realize that you really don't care about what people think of you, at least not as much as you used to. Instead of laughing at someones 9 million Facebook status updates about their child's bathroom incidents, you almost type "wtf? do you think I want to read about any one's green bodily fluids, let alone your weird kid's?" If you're online dating, and you get an email from someone who say is 20 years older than you, unemployed, has kids your age, a criminal record, lives in the attic or has multiple cats (or all of the above), you have the urge to reply back "KEEP DREAMING", you have started to lose it.  No, not your sanity. But your filter. Mine is certainly fading. But I ask, is this a bad thing?

I first saw this filter of mine starting to fade when I rolled my eyes at my boss in a meeting. I mean, there are only so many "it comes down to simple math-more appointment sets + this+this+zzz=goal" that one can take after years of being in a certain industry. Granted, this was a typical fake upbeat meeting in which we discussed the same things every single week and I hadn't had enough coffee. But honestly, a person can tolerate only so much condescending rhetoric.  Regardless if it's in my work or personal life, the older I get and the more I experience, the less I care what people think of me (minus my family and true friends).

Something to think about: are we doing a disservice to others by not being more honest? I ask you to look at your Facebook or Twitter newsfeeds. Or, if you're like Lawyer Chic, you're off the grid, so listen closely at the next work meeting or when you're having lunch with coworkers. Chances are, numerous opportunities will present themselves in which you either smile outwardly while cringing inwardly. If we keep smiling and laughing blindly, ignoring status updates and act as yes men/women at work, what will we achieve? You might ask yourself how do you know if you're losing your filter?  Here's a little test: if you're on the grid and you have to slap your hand away from typing a snarky reply and risk being deleted by annoying status updater and all mutual friends, you too are losing it. Which, in the end, might not be so bad.