How the hell are you supposed to see no evil on the internet?
It’s the internet!
Last week we talked about speaking no evil—biting our tongues when we otherwise might not want to. (Unless of course someone is being legitimately abusive in some way.) The week before that we talked about hearing no evil, which ultimately meant to let some stuff roll off our shoulders and carry on.
But, how are you supposed to keep yourself from seeing evil? The internet is bloated with it, after all. Rarely can you open up your various social media feeds without some sort of negativity being shared somewhere. Now, when I say evil, I am not talking about the stories about school shootings or when yet another male celebrity gets called out on the carpet because he can’t keep it in his pants. Those things are evil but they aren’t what I’m talking about.
Last week I picked on Lucy. Today, let’s pick on Sally—no! Albert.
When You Disagree…Vehemently
Okay, so in September you and Albert followed one another on Twitter. Then he found you on Facebook, then Instagram. All you ever really see him on is Twitter, though. To start out with, Albert talks about…mallard ducks. He writes non-fiction books about waterfowl. He’s more than fond of them. They’re innocent enough, and beautiful, and you find the pictures he posts of mallard ducks to be rather soothing.
You’ve even found one so humorous you turned it into a writing prompt.
So, it’s June now, and Albert still talks about mallards…but he’s also been getting more and more political in his tweets. He’s a fan of [insert your least favorite politician here] and his posts really get on your nerves.
You’re tempted to tweet at him, refuting everything he’s just said and you could easily make him look foolish—but you don’t because you read my post last week.
Let me state an unpopular opinion. (Also, I’m speaking as someone from the USA, so if you’re from outside these particular borders, this may or may not apply to you.)
It is perfectly fine to “be political.” It is your right.
If you choose to do so with the accounts tied to your author platform (or your business platform, if you’re not an author) then you, and you alone, run the risk of turning off potential customers/clients.
A lot of people refuse to separate themselves from their political beliefs for the sake of “professionalism,” and that is a perfectly valid choice. Just know the risks and own them.
On the other side of that coin, a lot of people view silence as complacency—which creates a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation.
Religion and politics are two topics that people with opposing views seem less and less capable of having civil discourse. Especially in the Twitterverse when public responses are capped at 280 characters. Proceed with caution, the fallout can be swift, feelings are often hurt, and a lot of people wind up kicking themselves afterward for not avoiding it altogether.
So, anyway, you decide you don’t want to get into a pissing competition with Albert, but seeing his posts just irks you to your core. Here are your choices:
1.| Unfollow him.
2.| Mute him.
3.| Block him.
4.| Deal with it.
There is no sense in allowing something into your life that steals your joy. You can’t make Albert shut up, so the decision to allow his point-of-view into your orbit is yours. If you think you can have a civil dialogue with Albert, maybe send a private message. Maybe, just maybe, if you each come to the table with an open mind, someone will walk away with a healthy, new perspective.
Stop Upsetting Yourself
It’s surprising how much time we spend irritating ourselves.
How many times have you looked up a news story that had you all wound up, just to see what the idiots who think differently than you are tweeting about it?
We all do it. Myself included. It’s the dumpster-fire effect.
But…when it keeps you from focusing on the important things in your life, then it’s time to take some personal responsibility and stop.
In Summary
There is enough hatred, drama, negativity, etc. in the world today, all vying for your attention and your precious sanity. Do not subject yourself to things you do not have to.
Your time on this earth is fleeting.
It is not a sign of weakness if you don’t tackle everything head-on. It can actually be a sign of great strength and maturity.
Get Yourself Some Happy
Shameless book plugs for my buddies! Two AMAZING indie books came out this week. Both of these ladies are shining examples of the independent publishing community. I highly, highly recommend these titles! Clicking the covers will take you straight to their respective Amazon pages.
Also! Guest Bloggers Wanted:
If you’re looking for some guest blogging opportunities, I have some dates I would love to get guests lined up for, if at all possible:
June 25th
July 16th
July 30th
August 20th
August 27th
If you’re interested, please send me either a private message on Twitter or an email at AilaStephensBooks@gmail.com. I’m fairly open to any topic you’d like to write about—though as you may guess I’ll veto anything about politics or religion. 😉
In your message, please tell me what date listed would work for you. Please keep in mind the deadline for your submission (made by email) will be one week before the posting date. This will allow me time to read and make sure it is something I feel comfortable posting on my blog.
♥♥♥♥♥ Thank you in advance! ♥♥♥♥♥
Now, I really must go. My husband is cooking dinner and it smells DIVINE and I have a writer’s meetup tonight.
Have a fabulous week, friends!
*Afflink*
Aila Stephens 
I needed this. It’s so easy to get your feelings hurt, especially when you find out a former twitter friend has said something about you without naming you. “Subtweeting” is what I think you called it a couple weeks ago. You’re right, time on earth is so short, no time wasting it on something that doesn’t matter to begin with. Thanks for keeping things real Aila!
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