One of the best lines in literature is “This is John Galt Speaking.”
The moment comes at the climax of Atlas Shrugged. Read it.
What follows is my own John Galt moment. If I had a stage, this is what I would say. As John Galt did, I would tell you who I am and what I stand for.
Just as with Galt, the ultimate point is not to know who I am. It’s to find out who you are.
“Don’t Make It Personal”
Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
But a man of understanding remains silent.”
-Proverbs 11:12
In the last post we looked at the question: “How can I be more mature when I talk to people online?”
The answer in summary—Don’t make it personal, painful, demanding, or rude. Today the first point—Don’t make it personal.
Forums are for critiquing thoughts, not thinkers.
The United States has been exceptional as the country founded upon a moral idea: individual rights.
The founding fathers recognized man’s rights as inalienable. Rights are discovered, not granted.
Recently I surveyed a group of my Christian friends and asked, “What is one part of Christian life you wish were easier?”
Thirty people responded, offering insight into their spiritual experience. I reformulated their responses as basic questions about the Christian life. They center on ten topics:
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is of little worth.
-Proverbs 10:20
How do you communicate wisely? Especially when writing online in a blog or on social media?
The perfect answer is not some “end-all” retort.
The perfect answer is the mature answer.
So our basic question is: “How can we be more mature when we communicate online?”
If you’ve ever discussed important ideas on a social media or a blog, you’ll know why this is important and why it is difficult.
