The Gentle Social Media

 

The last hundred years have seen many great inventions which have benefited mankind. I think the second greatest and best invention, after the spoon rest, has been the Internet.

I really was at a loss before they invented the spoon rest. I did not know where to place my spoon after I stirred the rabbit ragout or my puttanesca sauce.

So you can see why I placed the Internet as second best. Life would be so much more difficult for me without my spoon rest.

With the Internet came social media. An opportunity to get to know new people everywhere in the world from the comfort of your home. I am not a member of many social media platforms like FB, Twitter, Instagram and so on, because I find them too complicated to navigate or understand. I'm just with Blogger because it is much simpler. I post, people read and comment, I visit those who comment and voila.

Over the years I have "met" several people this way. Not in person because they all live too far away in order to avoid me; but that's OK. 

To me, these people are more than names and photos on my computer monitor. They are real people with real lives, and hopes, and points of views and concerns like everybody else. That's why I pray for them regularly; and I hope they do the same for me.

Most of those I "met" this way have been kind people and a credit to the gentler side of the Internet and social media. But some not so much so.

I had someone who continued to "attack", (I guess the word is perhaps too strong - let's say vehemently criticise), not me personally but what I stand for.

He said the Catholic Church is not Christian, it is a cult. It is this and that and something else ... ... ... and so on.

I suspect a number of you have had similar comments on your Blogs or whatever media you're on criticising you, or your opinions, on something or other. Disagreeing with an opinion is one thing; but being rude and abusive is another. We seem to live in a culture where if you don't agree with someone you must shut him down because you are right and he is wrong.

I thought about this person who wrote about the Catholic Church. Is it worth perhaps responding and explaining what we believe? I came to the conclusion that he was not prepared to discuss or debate. He was obviously right and I was wrong to belong to my particular faith.

I decided to ignore him despite his continued comments in the same tone to my posts. Ignoring him can be very confusing because he does not know whether I read his comments or not. It is like breaking wind in an elevator and there's no one there to take offence.

As for the rest of you; thank you for visiting me here and my other platforms when I was on them.

Now ... where's my spoon rest. Has any one taken my spoon rest? Come on you *** #### **** stop fooling around and bring back my spoon rest.