My First Blog (For the Second Time!)

To blog, or not to blog? That is a question for these modern times. There is an array of social and cyber networks out there where we can say whatever it is we want to say with very little accountability for how we say it. We have 24/7 news and sports stations where dead air is avoided by allowing everyone who can fill a time slot to state their opinion . . . . about everything! There are blogs and posts and tweets and forums for anybody to spout off . . . about anything! The internet is filled with sites that portray so many of these sentiments as facts, making it difficult sometimes to actually come up with our own opinions!

Politicians and public figures go on television and on Twitter to state their views, believing their status in life somehow makes what they have to say valid. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of hearing them argue their personal opinions on FOX News, CNN, NBC, BBC, ABC and even ESPN! I want the news, I want the facts, and I want a little commentary.  But, I when I have to listen to everybody’s perspective about a tragic event, for instance, and hear them throw stones from their own glass houses, I start tuning them all out. I find that I no longer have as much empathy for the situation as I should have. Is that the price of opinion overkill?

Didn't anyone else grow up believing that we shouldn’t pop off about every little thought that comes into our heads? I for one still believe it’s prudent to ‘sleep on it’ or ‘count to ten’ before confronting an issue. What about the old adage of writing a letter and then waiting a day before we send it? If we still feel the same way after some time to cool off, then stick it in the mail. Chances are we end up realizing most of what we wrote was just emotion muddling up the actual point we wanted to make. We need to pick our battles. If we go off about everything, nobody will hear us when we really do have something to say.

Contemplation seems to be a long forgotten, but still very important, tool in communication. I strongly believe that when we need to stand up for what we believe in, or need to make a valid point, we should speak up. But, sometimes it’s better to hold our tongue (or our tweet or our post!) until we can say what we need to say without ‘putting our footeth in our moutheth’, or damaging a relationship (or a career!) beyond repair. In the Bible, the Book of Proverbs tells us that even a fool is thought wise if he doesn’t open his mouth!

That being said, welcome to my blog! LOL! I guess the world still has room for one more perspective, right? Many of you have told me you miss reading the things I used to post on Facebook, so I have decided to create this blog. That way those who want to read what I have to say can, and those who don’t want to don’t have to! Hopefully you will find some of what I write here to be thought provoking, and maybe even a little humorous, and always straight from my heart.  (Most likely it will leave you wondering what kind of voices I am hearing in my head!)

So, is there a point to my very first blog? Why, yes, there is, and thanks for asking! The world is full of endless commentary and opinions; some helpful, some hurtful and some just a waste of time! We each have the ability to take control of what we listen to and allow into our minds, and we should take control of what we say, or tweet, or post, or blog about what we have on our minds!

As we walk through this life together, remember that we are all entitled to our opinions, but that kindness should always govern the way we state them! We all should take to heart the lesson Thumper’s mother taught him: ‘If you can’t say somethin’ nice, don’t say nothin’ at all!’