Four Reasons to Take the High Road

Words, harsh and scathing, rained down my Twitter feed. Facebook fared no better.

Name-calling, belief-bashing, and general unkindness seemed to be the order of the day.

I scratched my head and slugged back another cup of joe. Oh, goodness, gracious me.

All the hot, strong, black java in the world couldn’t make me un-see the rant-filled commentary that clogged my social media venues that day…and had for many weeks.

A few people, friends and connections I once admired, surprised and saddened. What was once fun, informative, and friendly had disintegrated into rage-infused tweets, posts, and updates. Social media had morphed into this huge, dark cloud of ugly.

It left me with a pins-in-the-eyeballs kind of feeling.

When I opened TweetDeck and Facebook in the mornings, I no longer looked forward to favorite folks’ thoughts as I once had.

Their diatribes left me breathless.

I grew weary from the weight of it all.

Now—let’s be clear.

I realize we’re in a new season.

We all have our own impressions about life, love, religion, and politics.

We’re human, and humans don’t live perfect lives.

Lord knows, we don’t always say the “right” thing or even the comfortable thing.

And, my heavenly days—do we know how to malign, judge, and convict folks on premise and viewpoint, alone!

In other words—we (all of us) are fallible.

We stumble.

We wound.

We harm.

Intentionally or unintentionally.

It’s the intentionally that bothers me the most.

We’re seeing new lows disguised as better “morality” and shady depths painted as “brighter mindsets.”

I’ve said this before (a lot, lately), but I’ll repeat.

Kicking people or groups of people to the curb in a public forum doesn’t garner respect.

It may arouse convictions, but respect is rarely the motivation behind the plethora of accolades.

It’s that fancy term.

Jumping on the bandwagon.

It’s an agenda. And it’s fueled by fear and distorted by lies.

Again—so there’s no misunderstanding.

Encouraging hate and harm is wrong, wrong, wrong,

It doesn’t raise the bar.

It dismantles it.

Hate doesn’t take the high road because hate is too easy.

It would mean opening the door for dialogue, civility, and room for agreement.

Alas.

In a perfect world.

However, just for a moment—

Let’s envision, say, an improved world.

Let’s imagine open minds and fruitful conversation.

Let’s channel some love and a modicum of understanding.

Let’s think about the high road and four reasons to take it.

 

Taking the high road creates momentum. Ugly rhetoric and confrontation rarely lead to good. Sometimes, we say more by saying less.

Taking the high road portrays self-confidence. A heated exchange may stroke an ego, but it doesn’t make us a fan. Kindness is catchy. Anger is, too—and not in a good way.

Taking the high road demonstrates maturity. Winded displays don’t impress. Why risk your name (or brand) over my-way-or-the-highway mentality?

Taking the high road reveals character. Public rants defeat the message. Gentle words are long remembered. So are the people behind them.

 

And those who choose dark over light?

Their prerogative, of course.

But I, for one, am disengaging.

We don’t have to think the same thoughts, believe the same things, or communicate the same way. Same is boring.

But—

*shakes head*

Shouting, ranting, and expletive-tossing have worn out their welcome with me.

I’m not sticking my head in the sand.

I’m making a choice.

I’m setting out my pruning shears and I’m about to do a little trimming.

In a Christian kind of way,  you know.

In other words—

My social media streams are about to get a little more float-worthy.

Hallelujah.

Amen.

Please pass the coffee and hand me some chocolate.

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THOUGHTS TO SHARE

Say NO to rants. Four reasons to stop hate in its tracks.

(Click-to-Tweet)

Sometimes, we say more by saying less. Four reasons to take the high road.

(Click-to-Tweet)

No-No Nellies leave you breathless? Here’s a dose of oxygen.

(Click-to-Tweet)

WARM FUZZIES YOU MIGHT ENJOY

Don’t Be Daunted by Dream-Crushers

Your vision. Your choice. Six ways to deal with naysayers.

Mid-Week Meltdown? Four Encouraging Pick-Me-Ups

Inspiration and a smile…with a dollop of chocolate.

Time to Ditch the “D Word”

Ditch doubt and embrace the faith-based seed of hope. What you should know.

 

 

Original Image Credit: tpsdave/Pixabay

Let’s share some love! 

What encourages you today?

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As always, from my heart to yours…

Much Love and Many Blessings,