Sharing An Opinion on Social Media

I am a person with opinions, enjoying friendly discussion on diverse topics. Many yesterdays ago, I habitually blurted out my thoughts without consideration of consequences. Today, I try to be more controlled about the “when and where” and take time and care in crafting my words.

Typically, I do not voice an opinion to a general audience. More times than not, I find it a waste of my energy. It is not my intention to change someone’s opinion, I only hope to encourage the sharing of perspectives. What I experience is something more akin to debate. There is nothing wrong with this, and it has its place, but I find it combative. When people come together with the sole intent of winning over the opinions of others because they are convinced of their own righteousness on a topic, I think we lose an opportunity for improvement.

Yesterday, I couldn’t help myself. The topic was the censorship of books, and it was like another post I had recently seen. I felt compelled to register my opinion on this forum, populated with Canadian writers, against the advice of my inner voice which was screaming, “Don’t do it!”. So far, I have not received any mean comments, but one lengthy response got me thinking; not about what the writer intended to clarify for me, but how narrow minded our responses are when wrapped up in our own biases. Naturally, I again felt compelled to respond with a better explanation of my original intent, knowing that this was also a mistake. I was now caught up in momentum that was gaining traction and would likely have no fruitful outcome.

What did I learn? Social media is not the place to voice my opinions. If my intention is to encourage discussion so that I may gain insight from a different perspective, this format is too limiting to communicate with sufficient substance and it is too easy for people to throw daggers from the shadows of anonymity.

Do you have any personal experiences related to the sharing of your opinions on open social forums?

Censorship

I don't believe that you can make enough rules (or laws) to ensure that others will only demonstrate behaviours that are acceptable to you. For this reason, I have difficulty with the concept of censorship, even if the content is hateful and/or misleading. There always has to be a judge of what is acceptable. Is it not better that we choose for ourselves?

A friend of mine shared the following post from Penguin Books covering 15 frequently banned and challenged books in Canada. I have read at least 7 and watched one as a movie.  How about you?

List of Books

Are there any books there that you find offensive?

Do You Like Weird?

I love weird.

If you are a friend of mine, don't be surprised if I think you are weird. It's a compliment. It means I find you interesting in a way that is different from other people.

In fact, I think when you really get to know somebody, you discover that quality of "weirdness" I am referring to. Perhaps "different" is a less offensive word to some, but I prefer "weird" because it catches your attention.

You might think that this makes me weird. I hope so. I never aspired to be average or just like everyone else. I value diversity, especially in the way we chose to express who we are.

Minimize Your Regrets

I refuse to live my days out in a manner that may culminate in a life depicted by the story, "Death of a Salesman". It's more amusing to think of myself singing harmony with Frank Sinatra. "Regrets. I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention."

That doesn't mean I want to live my life on the edge. Taking dangerous risks is not my idea of fun. I am too cautious for that. My goal is to remain open to new or different things. Being afraid of looking or acting the part of a fool is the biggest risk I am willing to take.