Now, maybe you're saying to yourself,
“She's joking, right?” After all, I am very outspoken on social
media. But what exactly am I outspoken about? Peace, love, acceptance
and compassion are always at the core of my posts.
If I display any animosity toward
certain behaviors, those type of posts will now be restricted to my
own page. There's no point in trolling around just to stir up
trouble. Oh, I've done it on occasion when someone works my nerves or
ignorance rears it's ugly head. But now I'm making a concentrated
effort not to.
And yes, I am big on making folks aware
of their less than kind tendencies with my posts. You know, the
habits and behaviors that are so socially ingrained that nice people
don't even notice they're participating in them?
I figure that I would want these things
pointed out to me so I could lead a kinder life, so why wouldn't
everyone else? But again, this is mainly on my own page or on the
pages of those who are in agreement with me.
I'm sorry folks, I just can't condone
practices that are less than compassionate toward humans or other
animals. It's not in me. However, I really do have faith in the good
character of all my friends, which is why I believe they would want
to know if something they do or say is hurtful to someone else.
I certainly would.
I have noticed that sometimes, certain
of my friends are offended by the thought of being compassionate
above all. I can't help that.
How silly is that, BTW? Why be so hell
bent on sticking to tradition or so set in your ways that you prefer
not to see the truth or consider ways to improve in the future? That
just makes no sense to me.
Blinders and rose colored glasses are
not my style, Compassion reigns supreme with me, even when it
necessitates changing my own stubborn ways and re-routing my own way
of thinking.
Mind you, I'm not saying that I'm
picture perfect. I have weathered my fair share of social media
battles. I have been guilty of stirring the pot, sometimes
with serious vigor. But there's something about making an effort to
live a kinder life that has prompted me to do better in that area.
Anyway...
I am making a special effort toward
peaceful interaction on Facebook these days. Social media is here to
stay. And as admittedly antisocial as I am, I still want what little
conversation I do engage in to be pleasant for all concerned.
I'm not commenting negatively on other
people's pages any more. If I have something to say that I can't not
say, I'll say it on my own page instead.
If you view my posts frequently, you
may or may not have noticed that I also now avoid lumping, grouping
and categorizing people in my posts. That includes not sharing
memes that condemn one political group or another. Because folks, we
are all so much more than the labels we are given. Sorting people out
this way feels a bit too much like bigotry to me.
I'm still a bit judgmental, I admit it.
I'm working on it though. I'm constantly working on self-improvement.
It's important to me to be fair and kind.
I can't help being human, of course. I
do and will slip up sometimes. In fact, I have done so, big time in
the past. More than once. A lot of the time it has taken me more than
once to learn my lesson. I probably have a ton of failing and growing
to do in the future as well. Still, I try to look at my mistakes as
learning experiences and I apologize when apologies are due.
I've stopped truly “falling for”
anything mass media, big banking, big business or mainstream
political parties spew without first doing a little unbiased
research. And generally, if the “news” coming out makes someone a
huge profit, I tend to pass on it. I'm looking for truth, not
propaganda. That's true, BTW, even when the news is slanted toward my
views.
For the most part, I scroll past
anything that causes me to shake my head without comment. You know,
anything that isn't based in compassion or impacts me in such a way
that I completely lose my own compassion. However, I do reserve the
right to post my disdain on my own page.
However, I'm trying my best to see that
said disdain is now directed toward the action, not the person. With
the exception of certain individuals who consistently display
tendencies of hatefulness, animosity, cruelty and general rudeness
with no remorse. Because then, I figure, something has to be said.
Silence is often seen as license and acceptance. People are not going
to change if they don't have to.
One last thing and maybe I've said this
a lot but example is the best teacher. That goes for everyone from
toddlers to seniors. Whatever aura you project surrounds you and
spreads to others. So, by being firm about supporting compassionate
behaviors and using that same compassion to promote them, I hope to
influence others to do the same.
I have always believed in being the
change I wish to see. Still, sometimes my actions have fallen short
of that goal. Patience is not a virtue I possess in quantity. I have
a short fuse when it comes to those who promote or project hatred and
exclusion.
So, I'm working the path of peace, one
step at a time and trying my utmost to do so with kindness in mind.
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