cranky—James 3:3-12
Though it's not explicitly Law, the old maxim "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" is at the very least a good idea. I'm struggling with it. Logic plays a part in holding me back— if I respond to careless speech with equally careless speech, everyone loses.
Why are we so careless with what we say? LiveJournal is one of the more ironic places to pose the question, as for many of us this is our journal, where we can throw out unvarnished thoughts and emotionally vomit until we feel better or don't care to type any longer. Forums like this are and should be "let the reader beware" zones, as I doubt anyone is forced to read a single word at pain of death. So I'm not sure my thoughts and frustrations are necessarily applicable to LJ; it's the bigger picture I'm wrestling with.
All that said, why? Don't we think? Most of us seem to just let loose, satisfied that we know what we mean and that should be enough. Communication is truly a lost art, as so many functionally believe the full responsibility for understanding their blather rests with the other party (if they care at all). But really, if all that matters is that I (the speaker) understand, why speak at all? Instead we huff and puff, and everywhere else I'm tempted to go with the analogy is crude and inappropriate.
Lots to do today and the clock is ticking. Just needed to vent my spleen a bit before I began madly duct taping people's mouths closed and inviting the entire world to have a tall, cold glass of Shut The Hell Up.
