Do THIS right before you hit ‘publish’
Photo by Emily Morter on Unsplash
I’ll say it again. Life isn’t simple.
It’s insanely simple.
Do this. Not that.
Eat this. Not that.
Go here. Not there. (At least not at 2 a.m.)
OK, I’m sensing a little pushback. And I know where you’re heading. I really do. It seems that much of our current culture is lived in shades of gray. Today’s issues are complicated.
Got it. So let me try to simplify life from that angle.
“THE” right thing to do no long exists. But “A” right thing to do always does.
We usually know what that is.
Observations > Opinions
Conversations > Debates
Responding > Reacting
So here’s a great question we can ask before updating our status on Facebook, Tweeting our thoughts, or firing off a DM:
“What am I REALLY trying to do with the words I’m about to use right now?”
Correct, pounce and injure?
Or connect, suggest and point to a better way?
Correct, pounce, and injure. (This seems to be our default.)
You’re evil
You’re wrong
You’re canceled
Connect, suggest and point. (We don’t see this much.)
Have you thought about ...
That’s interesting. Tell me more ...
Here’s something you might consider ...
We get to choose the route we take. Every day, in many different ways.
We can scream. But does anyone really hear?
We can cut with sarcasm. But who are we really talking to? The person we are engaging? Or are we trying to rally and entertain others looking on?
Whether we consider ourselves Red, Blue or something in-between, I’m guessing we have a lot more in common than we think. And some days, we all just want to throw our hands in the air and shout, “Help!”
Lord knows we need it.
I hope this was a good start.
(Tim Kolodziej is the creator of EnspireU.com and author of this piece. You can email him here.)