Careless Remarks

 People are careless, sometimes even thoughtless.   We, as a society, have become accustomed to hiding behind social media.  We have lost our collective filter - that pause before you speak, the thing that keeps us from saying ALL THE THINGS that are in our head.  Sometimes, we say the first thing that pops into our minds. These thoughtless or careless remarks can come at the expense of a friend, a student, or even a random stranger.

I really don't know what we can do to fix the situation.  I just know we need to do something about it.  How do we go back to a time when we haven't lost that filter?  Was there ever a time?  I know that it has gotten worse in the last few years... or at least it seems to have from my perspective.  It is like we have given ourselves permission to say whatever we want.  Social media has played a large part in this, as we can hide behind a screen, or post anonymously. 

Why am I blogging about this?  What has gotten me so upset that I felt the need to slice about it?  Yesterday, one of my close friends was brought to tears by an off-the-cuff mark.  Well, it really wasn't off the cuff since it was said twice. A colleague said something without pausing to think it all the way through, and it really hurt my friend's feelings.  I don't believe that it was intentional, it was said during an intense conversation.  Nonetheless, it hurt her feelings.  If the person would have taken a beat, and then made the comment, it may have been different.

People do this thing sort of thing all the time.  I know I am guilty of it - we all are!  I know that I am going to take a beat, be more deliberate with my word choices, and try and ensure that I don't make a careless remark.