I was reading a very funny post this morning about a former Marine that becomes a teacher and does something smart to “shock and awe” the students. It was a joke/story to show the toughness and quick thinking a soldier does, but yet it was short enough a person could remember it and tell it later. That’s what a good story/joke is supposed to do. I couldn’t wait to either go in and tell James (my former Marine) this funny story or just share it with him on Facebook. Then I did something I hate…I scrolled down and read the comments.
It’s the comments that kill us!! And I don’t mean kill us in a funny ha-ha way…I mean it’s the comments of life that kill us as individuals. The first four or five comments of this marine story are all negative, like that wasn’t a picture of a correctly ranked officer; other comments were criticizing the “theory” of the whole story; other comments were what they should be: “Good one!”
I find I sometimes live my life as though I’m reading “comments” people leave for me. Like I’m living under a microscope, ready to be scrutinized and commented on at any minute. And not because I’m rich, famous, or even all that darn interesting (haha)…but because it’s what people feel they are entitled to do. It’s like they feel it is their right to leave a “comment” on your life because it can be done so freely on the Internet. Judging people and their “life story” they are telling at that particular moment in their life is somehow justifiable to some people to tell you (or tell others) what they think of you. Guess what…you are not entitled. Period. You do not always have to have the last word–which is really what the comment section is!
I’m telling myself this as much as anyone. I’m not so special that I should feel entitled to leave “comments” about what someone else does. I’m not so smart I should feel entitled to “comment” to others how they should live their life. I told James I don’t know why I was so angry this morning after reading the comments from others regarding the Marine story, it just struck me as “this is what’s wrong with our country!”
*As a side note…I did get an education from James regarding the generalized term “soldier” and the implication it has on military men and women who serve in the branches.
