What if we were next door neighbors instead of following each other on Twitter or Facebook? What if every action or word said was met with an equal or bigger reaction right next door every day? Instead of measuring by likes, shares, comments and images, what if your neighborhood suddenly became a scoreboard for every exchange…good or bad?
It’s true…if you grow weary of online battlegrounds, you can give yourself a break and shut it down for a day or two. But in the real world, it’s hard to look someone in the eye each day and have an authentic conversation, without measuring your actions, words and intent…and weighing them carefully for a courteous and healthy exchange, mindful of the other person’s feelings and viewpoints.
In the real world, if a neighbor accidentally bumps into your mailbox or says something out of turn, an apology is usually forthcoming. I realize this is a simplistic example, but the principle is exactly the same.
With amazing technology and constantly evolving new innovations, I wish we could slow down and take a moment to consider a few things:
Earth is just one big neighborhood, becoming more and more connected every day.
If we all treated each other like neighbors, our “neighborhood” would be a lot nicer.
We wouldn’t write graffiti on someone’s garage door or sidewalk…why do we think it’s okay to do it online?
We wouldn’t unfriend someone just because they said something we didn’t agree with.
Equally important, we would share and respect viewpoints without sounding a battle cry at the first sign of a disagreement.
Oh yeah, and hey guys, this is the real world J
M