[MERIT]

I overreacted the other night and let another [unnamed] poster's bad vibes get to me.

What was cemented to me by this interaction?

► Other peoples' perception of you is their issue, not yours.

► Facts don't stop being true simply because others disagree with them.

► Don't waste your finite time and energy on things that are out of your control.

► Everyone utilizes the internet in their own way. Some of those ways are healthier and more productive than others.

► After extending multiple olive branches to some people and having them rebuffed, you have to cut your losses and relegate them to background noise.

I've been a member here for a long time [yeah, I know people hate it when I say that, but it's relevant]. Longer than I intended. I've probably overstayed my welcome, but I care about this place and the people in it. I've made friends on here over the years that I value, and It hurts me to see people abuse this place and its members, because I know that as a species [and a collective group of individuals on this forum], we are capable of so much better. When one member goes off the rails, it is up to the rest of us to let them know and put them back in line, not reward and imitate such behavior. I'm guilty of feeding into trolling by responding to it [if you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes], rather than just ignoring it. I hope to change that in the future, but some things require responses, even if it's just to let someone else know that they are out of line and that what they are doing is inappropriate.

Our actions are reflections of ourselves. How we treat others speaks more about us than it does about them. The fact that so few of us speak up when wrongs are committed is a sad reflection on our societies and the world as a whole. This post is not intended to shame [or praise] anyone, just to reiterate that you can't rely on mods or admins on here [or law enforcement officers or politicians in everyday life] to do [what you believe is] the right thing, or expect them to maintain order, because they are members of this bitch just like you. They're not special. As comedian George Carlin once said:

Be well and stay conscious my friends.
P.S. - It's gonna take more than that to get rid of me