Avoiding Criticism

There is only one way to avoid criticism:
Do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.
Aristotle

by Skip Cohen

I read Aristotle's quote the other day, and it stuck with me. Why? Because it describes what so many of us do so often, especially in today's political climate. And in cyberspace, especially, it's easier to just be quiet than deal with the abuse after the fact.

What amazes me is how often somebody's waving a banner based on something they've read on the Internet, and it's all fake, created to capture followers. For example, there was a post, complete with photographs, of Nancy Guthrie's body being found two days ago. The story suggested foul play involving greed and an inheritance battle within the family. It was all a fabrication.

If you question some of these supposedly legitimate posts, you get shot at by the trolls. These days, avoiding people who want to be trolls is almost impossible. In fact, we've all discovered we have friends who have turned into political warriors, doing their best to right-fight their way into contradicting what we believe.

I didn't start out writing to share things you already know about the challenges involved in having an opinion these days. Just an effort to remind you that you're not alone and don't shut down expressing yourself just to avoid criticism. But there are some people with ignoring - all listed in today's illustration above.

Wishing everybody a terrific weekend and time to chill. That doesn't mean you have to be quiet; just stop doom-scrolling and stop listening to people who don't have their facts straight.

The quote below, even though I've shared it before, is so on point for today:

Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.
Abraham Lincoln