Recently I came across a post on social media that started out with an innocent and cordial discussion about a simple topic. As I scrolled through the comments I noticed that things became very disrespectful really quick. There were personal attacks about the persons past decisions, name calling, and even accusations based solely on assumptions. I thought to myself, “I hope this person has a good support system because this has to hurt”.
I am writing today to encourage you the think before you click send. The truth is that it’s easy to assume the worse about someone. It’s easy to judge others by an article that they share or a comment that they make. What isn’t easy is restraint. What isn’t easy is practicing empathy or seeking to understand before trying to be understood.
We never know what that person has been through. Our lives have a story and just like stories there are highs and lows, peaks and valleys. You and I may be on the mountain top today but at one point in our story, we were in the valley. We can be better by approaching each conversation with humility and empathy. In the end, we will all be better because of it.