Trolls. They’re everyplace. And while the term was coined from internet and social media posts, you’ll find trolls in your general daily life, from standing in line at the supermarket to the office cubicle nearest you. And on some days….yes, you could be the troll. Blowing out someone else’s candle won’t make yours glow any brighter. What’s your motivation today? I try hard to ask myself this whenever I feel less than balanced. I try to breath and ask myself what I am trying to accomplish here as I type or speak. On the Vegan 101 Page (great page btw) I encountered a troll. It’s the holidays and bound to happen. While some folks are pleased with all the happenings of a new year, some aren’t. And rather than be an adult the unhappy, the less than settled, make the choice to share their turmoil and create drama and confusion.
Someone posted about it being ‘time to detox.’ What’s the best juicer asked someone else and I posted my article on Juicers. This turned into idiocy from one individual who essentially told me I should be ashamed for selling my quackery. But while I DO market organic superfoods and Skincare, this post was not mine and was not anything I was selling. I was singled out somehow for commenting on the post. The individual had posted with a picture of green juices simply stating it was time to cleanse. Not sure if they were selling these juices or simply stating they were getting ready to juice themselves! So I took my leave after commenting that daily detoxing is very important.
In my corporate job, at my signature line, I asked ‘Is it kind? Is it helpful? Is it necessary? Faced daily with long hours, high heated emotions and hundreds of emails, I thought posing these questions helped temper everyone in stressful situations and mitigate unnecessary actions thus saving time and making work smoother. It was a reminder of what really matters at the end of the day.
As we move into the new year how can we maintain focus on what really matters? Can we be mindful of times we all look for ways we ignite a fire when water is needed, stomp out someone’s fire when heat is needed, or otherwise produce chaos when we could be adding unity and check our motivation for doing this? Are we feeling insecure, alone, jealous or just enjoying schadenfreude?
As an activist, I sign hundreds of petitions annually, injustices range from the Asian cat and dog meat trade to saving the whales, our oceans, eradicating the factory farm cruelties and sharing the important knowledge about what is really going on. And there is always someone that jumps on a dog and cat meat post demanding human rights or what about dairy cruelty and is it alright to save the Asian cats and dogs but not pigs and cows. These folks are trolls. They jump onto a topic, snuff out the candle of the posters original intent, muck things up, accuse the poster of eating animals, call into question the organization itself (are they a real organization or a sham) then leave feeling vindicated as if they somehow really caused some good here.
We’re human, we stumble. But who has the time for ongoing toxicity? Where’s the joy in creating slander and cruelty? Only the imbalanced feels joy causing discord. And you cannot reason with imbalance. Let it go. As we move into the new year, look at your relationships, even those in your FB friend groups and ask yourself if they belong in your life? Do you feel supported, uplifted by most of what they say or judged and deflated? In short is what they say kind, helpful or necessary?
There’s always going to be the troll that wants to roll around and cover the facts with mud-uneducated to the truth of things, unwilling to learn with an egoist view of already knowing all. These are the folks who talk over you, don’t read what you’ve actually said and think you’re the one full of bull hockey.
When you already know everything learning ceases. These folks just want to get you muddy, they aren’t there to be helpful and they aren’t there to be educated. They are not there to be helped or healed. Let it go. The teacher will arrive when the student is ready.
Let go of those who waste your time and mood and seek out those who uplift. You teach others how you wish to be treated by what you allow. Let go of what no longer serves your highest good and embrace positive change. Life is short. Trolls need not apply. Happy New Year!?