Think before you speak, please

What happened to thinking before you speak, walking a mile in someone else’s shoes, or the golden rule to do unto others as you would have them do unto you? I’m talking about the younger generation, mine, and the older generations. We are guilty of this, myself included.

I have seen it unfold many times. One person will make a statement on a topic. It could be political, religious, or trivial. Then, suddenly, someone will come in and, childishly, make fun of the person by calling them a cruel name, then let the person know how wrong they are. Then the offender who did the name-calling gets offended when the original person makes a snarky remark— and instead of the two of them trying to understand where each other is coming from and have a healthy conversation. They instead prefer to go further into a downward spiral of name-calling and swearing. So again, what happened to those three principals?

When did it become more important to be right about something instead of having meaningful conversations? Why do we twist ourselves into a knot about someone else’s viewpoint and feel that we must tear that person down viciously? Why are we jumping to our conclusions about each other instead of, oh, I don’t know, asking them?

Let me ask this question, Does it matter? In the vast scheme of things. Does it matter when there is daily war, starvation, crime, and injustice? Does it matter to the deities you worship or don’t who won an argument that amounted to a single grain of hot air? I encourage everyone to consider their actions the next time they see or hear a disagreeing statement.

Do I know about the topic?

Do I understand the person’s intentions or where they are coming from?

Should I respond?

If I do respond, how should I?

Just some food for thought; try to have a good rest of your shift.