Quote Originally Posted by rossi46 View Post
Let me share a common saying from my days in the army: "mind over matter - if you don't mind, it don't matter!"

Essentially, the only reason you can get upset by someone else's comments is if you let them bother you; if you allow yourself to get upset. One of life's secrets to happiness is not letting others determine your sense of happiness. If you like to keep snakes, then what does anyone else's opinion on that matter?

The truth is, everyone has "weird" things they're into. That's what makes us all different and, to be honest, interesting. With 6+ billion people on the planet, chances are there will be an unimaginable variety of interests.

One last thing, it may be helpful to keep your snake thing a "secret," shared only with those who are mature enough to accept your enthusiasm for something outside the mainstream. I really don't tell anyone about my snake-keeping, which solves the problem of dealing with those who would have negative reactions.
^ I 100% agree with this. I've always been very selective in who I tell, it's just a drag almost no one knows that I keep snakes/reptiles because I know the impending reaction I'll get if I were to tell them. It's something I'm certainly not ashamed of, even though it's often tabooed by societal standards.

You're right, though. It's "weird" to keep herps by society's norms, but then again weird is a subjective term that's different for everyone. I might initially consider it weird for someone to have a collection of 200+ taxidermied gophers all dressed to resemble different celebrities, but I wouldn't write them of just yet. I'd be interested (albeit terrified for life - JK. Sorta'), but I wouldn't spout off degrading and hurtful remarks. I guess the key is to be open-minded to those who are close-minded.

Thanks for the insightful suggestions, everyone!