Forgoing the Rant

Yesterday I wasted half a day writing a whiny letter to the editor of a popular magazine. My beef was legitimate - at least in my eyes - and venting my frustration in a well-written discourse seemed like the thing to do.............until I put it aside to read later, and came back to it with a new attitude.

Too often we spew our opinions, informed or otherwise, without regard to possible repercussions. In the last month alone, I have inadvertently offended my daughter, her college roommate, her father, my adult niece and nephew (separately), and by association, probably my sister and brother-in-law, along with who knows how many of my more liberal-minded friends - all because I thought having my say was important. Being a peace-maker at heart, let me just tell you; it wasn't.

All of the "social interaction" made possible by technology is a good thing, right? Um...not always. Seems we are more willing to type into a keyboard what we might think twice about saying in person, which is unfortunate because, without being face to face, our intentions are more easily misconstrued. I know mine were.

So, one of the new tricks this old dog is still learning when it comes to social media is to keep my mouth shut. Until we all realize that most people aren't aiming to offend us, the better course is to cry into our coffee/beer/pillow and smile for the webcam.