It’s a sensitive world we live in. Everything we say and do is scrutinized; what was once considered harmless fun is now grounds for lawsuits, dismissal at work, or public scorn.
The advance of social media in the last few years has expedited this process to where things that were once in a small sphere can become worldwide within minutes.
If you offend someone, there is going to be a court of public opinion ready to persecute you to the full extent of opinionated law.
Much of it is exposing long-held prejudices that need to see the light of day. Any belittling of someone based on race, gender, or physical limitations is a mistake. It is wrong.
As tends to happen though, the pendulum has swung wildly to the other side of righteous indignation and now we are finding offence at the tiniest things. There is no forgiveness anymore, no chance to explain that what you did or said was an error and that those actions don’t define you.
Unfortunately, it is difficult now to escape from the mistakes we make.
Any picture you have ever put on social media or any opinion you have shared can be brought up and used against you. The things you believed as an 18-year-old kid can affect you years later when you are up for a job promotion, or pursuing a political career, or getting married.
The past won’t go away anymore. Because of technology, who you were will follow you around forever.
Maybe it’s time that we all need to take a deep breath and assume the best of people instead of the worst.
Insensitive comments are not right, but sometimes the context is misunderstood and there is no frame of reference from which to understand it. One misguided comment in one moment shouldn’t jail you for perpetuity.
Sometimes we are uneducated about something and an opinion we voice is one we no longer hold. It doesn’t seem to matter anymore – if you said it once it will be associated with you forevermore.
Children should be taught this at a young age. Everything they do now is put on social media and can’t be taken back. There is a gravity to this situation that the older generation didn’t need to consider, and may not entirely appreciate.
When you are too young to truly understand right from wrong, and you are growing up in a world where everything you do and say can and will be held against you, it’s like navigating through a minefield in every moment.
The importance of this is crucial to comprehend. Young people are committing suicide over things that haunt them on social media. Kids are encouraging other kids to harm themselves through relentless campaigns of online bullying.
Our youth shouldn’t have to deal with such big issues when they are just trying to figure life out.
It affects society too. Good, decent people will likely think twice about going into politics, knowing that everything they have ever said or done will come under a microscope.
We all have things we aren’t too proud of that lurk in the past; unfortunately, those things no longer stay there.
Everything is public domain now.
This is all a good reminder to be mindful of who you are and what you want to represent. Our words carry weight and we should carefully consider the intention behind them before we speak or write anything.
At the same time we can stand down from the need to persecute people.
We can soften our condemnation of others and understand that we don’t need to be politically-correct watchdogs looking for anything that is offensive. We need to stop judging each other so harshly.
None of us is perfect. Sometimes we say or do things we wish we hadn’t.
Forgiveness is the glue that holds society together. Remember to practice it as often as you can.