Anonymous 9539ce3a0ddd33d57f042772d7da67f1 started this discussion 2 months (2008-10-07 10:54:06 UTC) ago:
I work at theatre and during intermission I have the duty of guarding the stage. Part of center stage comes towards the seats, so the first three rows have a huge step up to get on stage. I can't let patrons up this large step due to liability issues, so I ask them to exit their rows on the opposite side.
So there I am with this wonderful task and a guy, despite knowing why I am there, slips past me and a seated patron saw my look of anguish and he said something about how you can't stop them all, to which I replied, "What am I going to do, right?" with a hint of satire, as stopping people is my responsibility. We both laughed and then he said, "I guess you have to choose which hill to die on."
That last phrase struck me. Is that a fairly common expression? Have you ATers heard it before? Source?
I thought it to be quite a nihilistic saying because no matter what you do, death is inevitable. In my case, people will inevitably slip past.
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Anonymous b05ecaafb421baca23a88d2fe0c83a61 replied with this 2 months (2008-10-07 11:47:40 UTC) ago, 54 minutes later (#67,170):
I've never heard it but I'm going to use it. Sounds like an ancient saying. Was the guy quite old? Almost like something my history teacher would say after talking about some ancient battle.
Anonymous 9539ce3a0ddd33d57f042772d7da67f1 (OP) replied with this 2 months (2008-10-07 12:22:34 UTC) ago, 35 minutes later (#67,178):
@67,170Yeah, I'm going to start using it as well - it really stood out the moment he said it. This man was in his mid 60's, but that's just an estimate. It sounded so knowledgeable coming from him, maybe as if he had a previous experience, I wonder if he was a veteran.
Anonymous 342d5293f154df09a536cd9159291ca4 replied with this 2 months (2008-10-07 22:23:16 UTC) ago, 10 hours later (#67,390):
What does he mean by "choose which hill?" What does this have to do with your situation, and your first response? When you said "What am I going to do, right?" was his phrase a direct answer to your response, or just the situation in general? I think that he's saying that even though you're going to die in the end, you still have to make a choice and stick with it.
Anonymous 3bd48923fcd2a8d2232bdfc6012d73f7 replied with this 2 months (2008-10-07 23:04:22 UTC) ago, 41 minutes later (#67,407):
It almost sounds like the phrase "pick your battles", only a bit more morbid. I like his phrase, though. I may start using it.
Anonymous a5d7d7542e1ca571cc3890bc5738f8ca replied with this 2 months (2008-10-08 00:42:38 UTC) ago, 2 hours later (#67,450):
@67,390What he's saying is ' Is it really worth stopping me going this way, or should you just save yourself the energy and let me' Only a tad more complicated.
Anonymous c1f793b649810d46d6b828bf1acb731d replied with this 2 months (2008-10-08 02:49:03 UTC) ago, 2 hours later (#67,486):
I really don't understand what that saying means. Pick your battles might be a good interpretation, but I'm still not sure. Can someone explain it to me? I just don't see how it had anything to do with your situation at the time.
Anonymous f2d6ba7d0e803fc0fd16ce314dd33df4 replied with this 2 months (2008-10-08 02:57:00 UTC) ago, 8 minutes later (#67,489):
I think I can break it down a little more.
Pick which hill to die on = you are going to die, like it or not, but you get to choose which hill, or place.
Pick your battles = you are going to fight sometimes, like it or not, but you get to choose when you fight.
They both pretty much mean the same thing.
Anonymous c1f793b649810d46d6b828bf1acb731d replied with this 2 months (2008-10-08 03:32:14 UTC) ago, 35 minutes later (#67,497):
@67,489Maybe I'm just thinking too much, but you don't really get to choose where you die unless you kill yourself. I could be walking down the street and get hit by a car, killing me instantly. I didn't choose to die there, it just happened. That's why i don't get the quote.
Anonymous f2d6ba7d0e803fc0fd16ce314dd33df4 replied with this 2 months (2008-10-08 03:35:46 UTC) ago, 4 minutes later (#67,498):
@67,497You may not choose exactly where you die, but you can sure as hell narrow it down.
If war is declared you can either choose to stay in your urban business building in somewhere like LA or Chicago, or you can choose to fight Communists in the Russian wilderness.
Not only do you choose part of your death location, but you also get to effect and narrow down what you died for, how you died, and how people will view your actions leading up to your death.
Anonymous dddc7196b2aaa9ec993c78132ca89c5a replied with this 2 months (2008-10-08 05:11:16 UTC) ago, 2 hours later (#67,516):
You guys need to read more or something. The saying is, "Is this the hill I'm willing to die on?" Which effectively means the same thing as pick your battles. It refers to being in a war and encountering the enemy on a hill and choosing to engage them. If everything goes right, you live, they die, and everything is fine. But if everything doesn't go right, you may die on that hill. So is it really worth it? Maybe you should just let the enemy pass this time and get them another time. This carries over into your every day life. Say some guy on the street gives you a shoulder as he passes you. Sure, it pisses you off, but would it really be a good idea to hit him or call him out right there? Will it be worth it in the end? Or maybe your girlfriend says she loves a TV show that you hate. Would it really be worth it to argue about it, or should you just let it go and avoid a possibly huge fight. Would it be worth it? In other words, is this a hill you're willing to die on?
Anonymous 342d5293f154df09a536cd9159291ca4 replied with this 2 months (2008-10-08 22:17:24 UTC) ago, 17 hours later (#67,699):
@67,516I read a lot, but I've never ran into that saying before. Thanks for the clarification.
Anonymous 256a23ab47d6056fbdcd22216917d7ff replied with this 2 months (2008-10-08 22:22:01 UTC) ago, 5 minutes later (#67,703):
"Damned if you do, damned if you don't" is the expression that comes to my mind, seems more apt that picking your battles.
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