to post or not {to post}

I am a member of a discussion group, the premise of which is to help us in a course we are partaking. The course is delivered in the locality by tutors. Some of the people in the group know each other in reality but most only in the world of virtuality. It is odd how a bunch of people who have a common goal, that of passing the course get sidetracked by distractions.

Last year I took a sabbatical from the group because one person said something derogatory to me, again, only virtually not in the flesh, not in reality. In fact it wasn’t derogatory to me or maybe it was, the point is I got offended, I felt it was derogatory and I left for a while. It was childish of me to leave over something so petty and I only left for a short while.

The need for support as an isolated student drew me back in. I discovered I had learned heaps in the time away about confrontation and how to handle it. My thoughts were misconstrued by someone this week and a defamatory post was reeled off. I didn’t back away and leave the group, I explained my position, they apologised. I have had to apologise too for taking things the wrong way.

Too often on virtual sites we take umbrage, we take offense, we do wrong, we get angry, we feel self righteous, we feel in the right. Truth is we are all going to be right one day and wrong the next. We are all learning and we learn from each other. We are virtual pebbles being rubbed smooth by knocking into other virtual pebbles.

In reality, someone threatened to beat me up this week. That hurt me. In the virtual world we are safe to argue, safe to get offended, safe to reconcile. In reality that is not always the case. This week someone I know, had a bad day and I turned up all smiley shiny and new and it freaked them out so much they threatened to beat me up.

I used to fight, in another realm of reality I was a streetfighter, this person doesn’t know that, they saw Suzie Christian, blow on her and she falls down. My old self was offended that they didn’t think I could take them. What silly things our old selves come out with!

The point of this post is; in reality life can be dangerous for some people, people live in a world where in their families or wider circle people not only threaten but actually beat people up. People live in fear because of their reality so maybe sometimes in a virtual world they take offense because IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.

Dear Lord

For all those people living in fear, be with them today. To all those people hurt and offended be with them today. To all those in pain, physical or emotional or having a mental health few minutes be with them today. To all those who can’t face getting out of the bed this morning be with them today.

Lord the world needs you in it, we are a messy people who go around bumping into one another help us learn from our bumps, help us teach from our bumps.

Lord I especially pray for my would be attacker. He is in so much pain, he can’t express it except through violence or threat of violence. He needs so much love Lord, help me give it.

Amen