When did the world become such a negative place? When did people start feeling so entitled to push their opinions onto everyone else? At what point did people forget that we are all human, we all have feelings, we all face our own struggles? Ultimately, we all have our own lives to lead and just because someone else is doing things differently, does not give others the right to mock, criticize and just be an outright bully!
Over the past few years, Instagram has become my social media platform of choice and I either follow a few ‘influencers’ or check-in with their page occasionally. Over time I have witnessed the drawbacks to putting your life out there in the public eye, it opens up the floor and ultimately seems to make you ‘fair game’ for the onslaught of other people’s opinions on how you choose to live your life. I have seen an overload of uninvited, unwarranted, and wildly unnecessary views of these influencers’, when it comes to an array of life choices – from how they choose to parent their children, how they spend their free time, how they navigate the very personal intricacies of a marriage breaking down, even to the extreme and most heartbreaking of all – judgements on ‘the correct way’ someone apparently should grieve the loss of their own child or loved one. What world is this that people can openly and viciously, with no sign of remorse or shame, verbally attack someone else at such an unbearably difficult time in their life? Personally, I would be mortified knowing I had caused someone else, much less someone I did not even personally know, additional pain.
Honestly, were we always this mean, and social media has just given people the platform? Do people actually talk to others in person this way? If the opportunity was given for people to get off the comfort of their couch and meet face to face – what percentage of the people who vomit their self-righteous feelings onto others online, would actually be ‘brave’ enough to say it in person? Just because someone has chosen to share more personal aspects of their lives, and with it a feeling that we really know them, we need to remember, we truly don’t. Instagram is a highlight reel and the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what really goes on day to day.
This kind of bullying online is not something new, and for a long time I have been astounded at some of the stuff people feel they have a right to say – freedom of speech – and all that. But honestly, just because we have freedom of speech, does that really mean we should be saying some of the things we do? Just because you can, should you?
Photo by Dayne Topkin on Unsplash
I often wonder what has happened in people’s lives that they feel entitled to this kind of behavior. I often feel that people who so openly berate and verbally abuse complete strangers really need to spend some quality time alone connecting with themselves, finding out what is hurting/has hurt them so badly that they need to inflict such unnecessary pain onto others.
Unfortunately, whilst it is only a small portion of people that darken the comment sections on social media, as with many things, the negative can often drown out the good, regardless of how small they are. That said, it’s not all negative, and I know there is a huge amount of good out there, there are a vast majority of people that do good, see good, and are good. I only have to follow @goodnews_movement on Instagram to be reminded of this every day, if you are on Instagram and love feel-good stories – check her account out – I am not ashamed to say I shed tears of happiness on a regular basis thanks to the stories shared from around the world.
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash
It comes down to this – navigating life is hard enough, this world needs more kindness, we need more love, we need more grace, we need more acceptance, and we need to stay in our lane and work on being the best versions of ourselves. Maybe we should start a movement (if there isn’t already one) whereby we do the opposite of trolling, we actually start bombarding social media with words of kindness, positivity, and support of one another – fill someone else’s bucket and you automatically fill your own in the process!
So, what do you guys think? Surely I am not alone in feeling this way? Are you in need of some positivity and kindness (who isn’t?)? Are there places you have found that spread the message of love, joy, and being kind to one another? Feel free to leave your (kind) comments below – I would also be really interested to know what you do when you meet someone who thinks differently from you?
Surely I am not alone 