Protect Your Mind

28 Jul Protect Your Mind

“If you don’t speak out then you’re apart of the problem!”

“Why are you speaking out? Your opinion is wrong!”

The world is at an especially fragile time right now… or maybe it always has been and I’m just now noticing it. People are trying to force others to speak out on topics they’re more comfortable with not talking about. People expressing their opinions so strongly that they’re verbally abusing someone else for their different opinion. I’ve never had the issue with being afraid of speaking out. I’ve always been a firm believer in speaking my mind. If someone else presented an opposing idea then I can weigh those things and find for myself if I believe them or not.

Recently, I’ve found myself extremely scared to say anything… ever. I will start to type something and then delete it… over and over again. It’s like I can say one thing and 50 other people want to combat me on it. I say I like milk and then I’m hounded for how I support animal abuse and that I support reproduction slavery. Yes, that was an actual jab towards me over eating eggs. I say that I support those who choose to terminate a pregnancy for the well-being of their mental state because they were raped, and then I’m called a baby killer. I could literally state why blue is my favorite color and someone would find a way to try and make me feel like garbage for my preferences.

It has gone far beyond expressing opinions and just straight up demanding other people that they should think the same. But not only that, instead of agreeing to disagree, it’s like everyone is trying to push these opinions, beliefs, whatever else on other people – telling them that they’re wrong. Everything is not black and white. Until everyone can realize that humans are completely dimensional beings with the ability is slightly or strongly agree and disagree with various topics, I don’t think this fighting will ever stop.

I see myself as such a gray scaled person. There are some topics I am extremely firm about and others I teeter between because it’s a matter of morals and personal beliefs. I have never, that I can remember, told someone that they’re stupid for what they believe in. If there is hard evidence, that’s one thing, but when it comes to someone’s ethics it is completely different. But what blows my mind is that people think that everyone is just going to say, “You’re right.” and then all of a sudden convert to their ideas without even educating them.

People like to say, “It’s not my job to educate them.” Yes, it absolutely is. If someone is ignorant on a topic, they’re most likely not even going to know how or where to go looking for credible resources on that topic. If you know, then it IS your job to correct them. Feed people knowledge. No one likes to be call stupid and if you hold knowledge and you’re not actively helping the community, they you’re just as much of the problem as they are.

I think what bothers me deeply is the fact that people are so very quick to verbal and mental abuse. They’re so quick to say someone is ignorant or stupid and calling someone a dumb bitch or an asshole just because they’re beliefs do not match yours. When did it become okay for people to just abuse others like this?

The internet has never been a kind place. It’s a place with all walks of life and obviously varying in opinions, but people’s ugly human sides kick in and they think they can say anything. While it may not harm you by saying it, you need to remember that there is another equal human being on the other side. Someone with their own story, their own beliefs, and their own ability to be hurt by what you say. Even if you’re a stranger, something you may say could stick with someone for the rest of their life.

People are so quick to rant. I’m not excluding myself one bit. I’ve done it. I’m doing it right now. While it’s important to get things off of your chest and not hold it in, it’s also equally important to not give in to every little emotional whim. Compose yourself, allow yourself to feel those emotions, but break them down in a constructive manner and come back collected. I have seen a dramatic decrease in people’s mental health on social media this year. Like I mentioned before, maybe this has been happening for a long time and I’m just now noticing. With each post, you can see how they’re breaking down more and more. I’m not saying to not be fragile and show that part of oneself, but it comes to a point where one needs to step away and heal the mind. Your mind needs to be strong during these times or else there isn’t a real great way to survive.

For the last month, I’ve stepped away from social media. I only have a Facebook and Instagram so I’m not really on a lot, but I’ve stepped away. Coming back and seeing the chaos that is still happening is absolutely saddening. For a very long time, people have made me feel like I was insane, like I was stupid for how I thought and that I was a bad person. I’ve been called every name in the book over very trivial topics. After stepping away and coming back, I realized that my mental health is far better than most – they were just making me feel like it wasn’t. 

That’s one of the most heartbreaking things to do to someone… projecting yourself.