Brain to Mouth, Stay Out of the Author/Reviewer Wars

Do you ever feel like you have a direct path from your brain to your mouth...you know a tube without a filter or trapdoor that just lets words fall out of your brain and go spewing out of your mouth? If they are bad or hurtful words, they are written on someone's heart with indelible ink, they just never go away.  Oh, there can certainly be regret, there can be apologies and the words can maybe be covered, faded away with time. The truth is, They Never Go Away.

My spouse is a man of very strong and true character and a man with a rather unforgiving temper that he has worked hard to moderate.  Over the years, I often told him, "No matter how right and justified you are, once you loose your temper, once you release critical and hateful words on someone, you instantly become the bad guy. All your rightness is lost in an instant. It just flies away on the wings of anger and you are left somehow looking and feeling like the s--t heel.

I have to say, that even though I am a gal who often has a mouth in motion, I rarely say everything that I am thinking.  Even when it is something that I truly think, if it is a negative thing, I simply can't bear that glint of pain that comes into someone's eyes. I just never thought it was my job to inform my friends and family of all their faults or some secret occurrence that they were not aware of. Some of the worst conversations I ever had, began with "I don't think you know this, but blah, blah, blah...blah blah. Sorry, but I just thought you should know." Even if it was a truth and something I did need to know, the only real BUT(T) in that sentence is the teller.  That self righteous speaker that is sure you must be informed.

Now, unfortunately in the wild west, wide open internet world, this unfiltered brain to mouth tube has become filled with toxic slime.  Because, no-one has to actually see the glint of pain in the other person's eyes. They can just sit in anonymity, in the bright glare of their computer screen and spew out their hateful rivers of negative dialogue.

While nothing compares to the social media bullies that have become vicious and dangerous, a fray that has been ongoing for several months now is a perfect example of why you should close the trapdoor to your mouth and not spill out every thought that is churning in your mind, onto your keyboard.  I don't need to go into detail about the confrontational and malevolent  internet skirmish between SOME authors and SOME reviewers.  It's easy to find all the gory details on the web.  The hubby has a favorite saying, "The truth is somewhere in the middle, not out on either extreme end." I agree.  The whole situation, is indicative of what I always warned my beloved about. It has escalated into such viciousness that the right side or viewpoint has been buried. It is now completely covered with the nastiness of both sides.

Momma said, life isn't fair. It's eternally true and we know it. We just don't want to accept it.  On occasion we need to shut our mouth and stay out of the fray. Some things are not easily resolved.  Just because internet combatants can't see where their word bombs are landing, doesn't mean they aren't doing plenty of damage. Think before you open your mouth or touch those keys.  JO