Thread:Betty2015/@comment-28694170-20170513134013/@comment-32738051-20170513154057

I know just how you feel and what you mean, Betty. Me too.

And sorry but I was one of the very verbose ones...funny thing is, I find that the more verbose I am and the longer it takes for me to post a response, the better the response usually is in terms of tone. That's because I go back and review everything I wrote and tweak it - sometimes to death and making it even more verbose - before I actually post it (and sometimes I still have to go back afterwards and tweak it some more 😲). Some would call me crazy for doing this. Others would rather not read what I write because it's too long. And yeah, I very likely could write more succinctly. But I find that by the time I submit a post - and sometimes I scrap the post instead of submitting it - I'm much calmer and it comes across better. I think if everyone took as long as I usually do to write a post - if they re-read and tweaked and re-read again and tweaked again as much as needed before submitting their posts, especially in heated discussions with polarized viewpoints - then perhaps there would at least be a lot less tension.

To the above strategies, I would add take a deep breath and exhale - it's a great way to handle steps 1-3. And I would also add consider possible opposing viewpoints and/or the pros and cons of one's own viewpoint before stating it. It may sound terribly simplistic but it's always a good idea, though sometimes incredibly difficult, for one to act, not react. I find that too often people don't think - really think - before they say and do (or write). It's not just a matter of stopping before proceeding, it's also a matter of slowing down. In this day and age when everyone rapidly tweets and texts in variations of shorthand and is practically surgically joined to their communication devices, we've all become techno junkies and have lost a lot of our humanity and our ability to socialize well in the process.

Can't we all just get along? 👪💕👪💕👪