I recently read a very pleasant article (in The New York Times’ Opinion Pages) based on the premise that when the weather is good, it’s nice to write outside.

(I kid you not.)

Despite the rather innocuous subject matter, it was actually a very enjoyable, well-written piece–combining the author’s personal anecdotes about the pleasures of writing outdoors with scientific evidence about how nature benefits the human brain. Interesting and thought-provoking, but hardly controversial…or so I thought!

Based on some of the readers’ responses, however, you’d think this was an inflammatory piece of hate-mongering, dedicated to the destruction of all that’s right and beautiful in the world! Yes, many readers praised the article and contributed their own positive experiences with writing outdoors, but a remarkably high percentage (roughly a third) of the comments were negative or even downright rude.

(I won’t give any more attention to the rude ones, but here’s a laughable sample from someone who took umbrage with the author’s statement that “Fall promises crisp days…and ideal temperatures for being outdoors.” The anonymous commenter responded: “My question is: ‘Ideal temperatures’ for whom? Fall may present ‘Ideal temperatures’ for a few but it certainly does not for me. I prefer summer temperatures and find autumn much too chilly. Therefore, what one considers ‘crisp’ might be downright cold to another.” Wow! Who knew that autumn sunshine was such a hot-button topic!)

A few years ago, such responses might have bothered me, but now…well, they still bother me a bit. (Hey, this is HALFway up the Mountain–I’m human after all!) They don’t get under my skin quite as much as they would have in the past, however, since I’ve come to this helpful, empowering realization: There will always be idiots.

This may sound negative, but it’s actually incredibly liberating! It drives home an important lesson: You can’t please everyone! Once you fully realize this, you can stop trying! You can stop worrying, “What will ‘They’ think?”! You can stop letting your actions be determined by a handful of strangers–who are probably going to be negative no matter what you say or do! You can just be yourself, do your best, and live your life.

What a relief!

It’s also incredibly empowering to remember that just because someone offers bait, doesn’t mean that you have to take it–in person, on Twitter, or anywhere else. You can let them put in their two cents of negativity and leave it at that. You can just let it go, or you can choose not to take it in at all.

(I recently learned that the comedian Eddie Murphy declines to use social media in order to avoid this type of negativity, which he likened to someone jumping into your car at a red light, shouting an obscenity, then jumping out and running away.)

I don’t think that social media or other new technology is inherently negative, however. After all, it’s helped to reunite old friends, forge new friendships, and join people together for mutual good. But it’s also made it much easier for people to post mean (and usually anonymous) comments in all sorts of areas: responses to articles, YouTube videos, Twitter, Amazon book reviews, chat rooms, and all types of websites. (One unfortunate side effect of my being a Yankees fan is that I’ve encountered many a “troll”–people lurking in opposing teams’ chat rooms simply for the purpose of leaving rude comments and making themselves despised. I’m not sure whether to feel disdain, pity, or both.)

Respectfully offering an alternative perspective is one thing; being contrary just for the sake of being contrary is quite another. And being an idiot is another still.

Maybe I’m being too harsh by referring to online haters as “idiots.” After all, I’m sure they’ve got their own struggles, challenges, and inner demons to battle–just like the rest of us. Maybe they’ve had a particularly hard day and just need to vent. Maybe they’re simply falling into the common trap of making universal judgments based on their own individual, subjective experiences. Or maybe they truly are idiots.

Regardless, they can still serve as teachers in unexpected packages–reinforcing some of life’s most valuable lessons: to be true to yourself, to express your highest nature (regardless of detractors, contrarians, or trolls), and to do what I hope we can all do right now: have a quick laugh, let it go, and shift our focus back to all the positive elements of life that are SO much worthy of our attention!

And, above all, to be kind.
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P.S. Looking for a way to shift your focus back to the positive…and keep it there? Check out our new ecourse, 28 Days of Joy. If you’re ready to bring more joy into your life, please join me, Jodi, and many others as we spread the joy!

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