May 6, 2021
I know, on the internet, the question of “is it OK to be wrong,” is almost always answered with a resounding “no,” but let’s dig a little deeper…
We all see those inspirational sayings of affirmation that make you feel good about yourself and what you’re doing, but while I’m all for a positive self-image, I feel like we’ve taken it to the point that we have an abundance of denial.
There are times where, yes, we DO need to be torn down a bit. We DO need to be told when what we are doing is wrong. When all we hear (or all that we acknowledge) is how right and good and perfect we are, we not only get a false sense of security, but we also can’t understand why something truly DOES go wrong.
Life is not all sunshine and roses. There are storms. There are droughts. There are catastrophes. If all we know is an artificial perfection, then how do we expect to handle instances where perfection does not exist?
That’s not to say that there aren’t folks with malicious intent. That’s why we need a trusted support system. We need people who will no just lift us up when we’re down, but who will also keep our feet on the ground. I feel like we are seek out the former and ignore the latter.
That’s not to say that I have all (or any) of the answers. I’m not one that has it all together. I NEED people to keep me on even ground, because (like most people), I can sometimes go too far in one direction or another. It’s not always fun being reeled back in, but it is very often needed.
And you know what? It’s OK to be wrong. It’s ok to make mistakes. And it’s GOOD when people you trust call you out. It means that someone loves you and wants what’s best for you. Before we crawl into a hole or go looking for false affirmation from others who don’t know your situation, we should probably ask ourselves…could they be right? More importantly…could I be WRONG??
Jan 13, 2021
If companies like Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple can not only silence a sitting president (Trump) by deleting all of their accounts, but also silence his supporters by shutting down an entire platform, all with no consequences, what’s to stop them from doing the same with future presidents?
Before you go off about Trump inciting violence, let’s seriously think about the big picture here…
Since March of 2020, we have been limited in our face-to-face communication. We’ve been essentially forced to use the above-mentioned companies as a means to talk to each other. Now, said companies are determining what you can and can’t see or hear. If they don’t like what someone says, they can instantly and unilaterally block you from seeing it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Trump or your aunt Mary.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but is this not censorship? The scary part is that the powers that be don’t seem to care (some even encourage it).
Now, some of you may say this is an extreme situation that requires extreme measures, and that this is basically a one-time deal. The problem there is the precedent being established; if they can do it once free of consequence, then why couldn’t this happen again with pretty much anyone they want to block?
In addition, when a group of people say they are fed up with these companies and want to start a new platform, said platform is shut down because its being hosted on Amazon servers. This is even scarier yet; now it’s not just individuals being silenced; it’s entire groups of people.
And yes, I know that many of you are fine with this “one time” deal because you view Trump as being inciteful and his supporters as being extremists. The end justifies the means to you. That’s fine. You’re entitled to your opinion. They’re just not entitled to theirs because it’s not the same as yours, right…?
Let’s not miss the forest for the trees in this situation. We are being controlled, not by government, but by corporations. That it is being done in the same of “peace” is irrelevant.
Mar 29, 2016
Well, that escalated quickly.
In today’s world of instant global communication, it seems that we are seeing much more violence and rebellion now than ever before. Kids are bringing guns to school (and using them) simply to get attention. Criminals are tempting police (and often sacrificing themselves) simply because they refuse to abide by laws (and some police officers are reaching the ends of their rope and responding similarly).
We live in a society where “rules are meant to be broken,” and authority is to be questioned. There are entire movements today against authority of any kind, with anti-police and anti-government rhetoric all over society. Part of this is due to the widespread use of the Internet, wherein news is accessible and can travel virtually instantaneously to anyone you want. There is no cooling-down period before news can be processed and presented. If something happens, 10 people have cell phones trained on it, and it’s on YouTube within minutes for the entire world to see (rather than being published the next day in a newspaper or aired a few hours later on television). A fire is sparked and fuel is added immediately.
Why is this such an issue? Well, to put it simply, anger is a high. According to Psychology Today:
It overrides all other moral and rational brakes in the brain because it originates from our primordial, original limbic system: the brain center of our most automatic emotions like fear and desire.
Basically, anger is the body’s way of handling stress in a very primitive way. It’s a knee-jerk reaction that occurs without thinking, and if left unchecked, it can turn us into raging maniacs, clouding our judgement. That’s why we’re told to go “cool down,” so our bodies have time to process what is happening and we can make rational decisions.
But what happens when our anger is fueled rather than cooled? Instead of calming down, what if we’re told, “No, stay angry, and get angrier!” Like an addict, we begin to crave the anger and the feeling it gives us. It creates the illusion of power (“We’re angry, and we’re going to do something about it!”). That’s why angry mobs are often uncontrollable. They are a group that is fueling each other’s anger beyond rational thought.
And thanks to the Internet, that anger can be fueled continuously. Someone commits a crime against someone else, and immediately, an entire group of folks can rise up in anger (without taking the time to process it), and react however they see fit, creating their own version of what happened based on their anger rather than actual events.
Think I’m being over dramatic? When was the last time something made you angry? Odds are you went and vented about it on a Facebook post, where other folks chimed in to tell you how right you are and how wrong it is for whatever made you angry. It’s confirmation of our anger, which again, fuels it. And if anyone questions why your angry (or attempts to calm you down), we instead get even more angry, because you’re not getting your anger fix. Instead, you’re being denied your anger.
Am I saying that anger is wrong? No. It’s an emotion that we all feel at some point, and it is often justifiable. What we DO with that anger, however, is what can be right or wrong. Do we stop and try to process why we’re angry, or do we simply lash out and let our anger take over?
I am not writing this as a lecture to others, either. I have dealt with anger issues my entire life, and usually, it’s born out of what I perceive to be a lack of control over a situation. When I feel like I no longer have control over something, I get angry, because it gives me that illusion of control, or at least an attempt at regaining control (however spectacularly it fails). It’s something I’ve dealt with and worked on for most of my adult life.
And this is the same mindset that society has as a whole today. They want to regain control over something that they never really had control over in the first place, leading to anger that is unexplainable, yet somehow makes us feel better, if only for that moment.
