women are wicked, men are wild ...

... and we're all so good when we're bad.

Neal Asher has a nice blog post this morning about ranty blogs and why he is no longer going to read them. I've already moved into adopting that policy. I'm also staying out of threads and groups where there is a lot of anger.

It's emotionally draining and, truth be told, it's a bloody waste of my time. There is a huge difference between engaging in a discussion where people actually listen to one another and a rant where people talk AT one another. People tend to spew a lot of rhetoric without any true engagement or respect for the other person's point-of-view.

That's not a discussion--that's an argument.

I spent the first twenty years of my life being an angry person, and I've spent the last twenty learning to live in peace with the people around me. You guys get your wild on. You'll get tired of it one day too and wonder why you wasted so much time being angry at people so beyond your control.

Comments

[Paul Weimer (@princejvstin)]

It is awfully tempting to engage in bomb-throwing. Its a trait of humanity that we need to rise above...

Your attitude is awfully Zen, Teresa, and quite admirable for it.

[Teresa Frohock]

All that Zen came after a good old fashioned hissy fit or two. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by, Paul, it's always a pleasure to see you.

[Jennifer E. McFadden]

Thanks for posting this, I've never engaged in rant blogs or the downright silly arguments. I'm privileged to hear rants from both my sons, lol.
I believe if we are spending time reading posts, it should be something uplifting or at least helpful. :)

[Teresa Frohock]

I don't mind deep and insightful or even thought-provoking blog posts, but all the hate they spew at one another is just vile. I don't expect them to stop, but I can control which blogs I visit. ;-)

[Neal Asher]

Of course another reason to avoid that such blogs comes as you get older. People start dying around you and you start to realize how futile and unimportant is all that ranty stuff.

[Teresa Frohock]

Absolutely. I also no longer think the same way now as I did when I was younger. There has been a subtle shift in priorities and attitudes, and I see the world more in shades of gray than in the stark contrasts of my youth.

Thank you so much for that blog post, Neal. I had been feeling out of sorts with the whole blogosphere of late, and you really pinpointed why.