Today I read a very offensive political link-post which was shared by a Facebook friend. I won't get into the vulgarities throughout the offensive blog; basically the premise was directed at the readers of her very own political party telling them that if you didn't vote her way (or vote at all) that you were a waste of oxygen (I'm paraphrasing here). The blog was belittling, it was vulgar, it was demeaning, it was intolerant. I'm not sure what made me angrier: that someone could be filled with this much bitterness, intolerance and hatred; or the disappointment I felt in my friend who posted the link.
Does that blogger have the right to post this vitriol? Yes, that is the very definition of tolerance. Is her hatred and intolerance the best way to win converts and promote positivity and change in other people's lives? Not in my opinion.
I've made enough mistakes on Facebook to tell you that when you post a overtly negative post on social media, one of three things, or a combination of the three things, happens: 1) You get 'likes' or comments from people who agree with you. 2). You get no comments and/or responses (sometimes this can be the worst), or 3) You get opposed. Social Media Opposition or SMO can take anywhere from an hour to a couple of years (or longer) depending on the severity, timing of the post and the number of people involved.
Quite frankly, I don't have the time or the stress level to consciously go off on somebody or something publicly on social media. The moments, minutes and hours after I submit such a post leave me with a huge knot in my stomach, second-guessing, loss of sleep and, in many cases, SMO.
So what is the answer? At first I thought it was to severely limit my intake of social media, but I was wrong. There is a still a time and place for face-to-face social interaction, but I must confess that I have been deliberately complacent in respect to social media over the past couple of years in lieu of the "old ways." I need to avoid the stagnant waters of my own complacency and indifference against social media and reach out to those who seek Facebook or Twitter as their primary source of interaction.
While there is a dark side to social media, there is also a light side best laid out by the Biblical fruits of the Spirit: love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Our desire should be to love rather than hate, uplift, rather than tear down, bear another's burdens rather than seeking self promotion.
Moreover, it is a far better thing that my life be a living testimony of the love that is inside of me, rather than engaging in bitter public quarrels with whose values or morals are opposed to mine. One loving word can make more of a difference than a thousand bitter ones. As darkness tries to stake its claim in our hearts and on our keyboards, let us voice our own SMO: against those who wish to embitters our spirits and extinguish our love. And may the greatest thing that remains be love.
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