Well said, Floyd. I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that there are some from all sides who are resistant to voices of reason. That does cause many to refrain from commenting...knowing that their comments will fall on deaf ears...or, bring forth a torrent of contemptuous responses.

I sense there are many who realize the futility of participating in such close-minded discussions. The 'truth' seems to be only that which aligns with one's particular stance. Dismissiveness of other's thoughts/opinions is a virus on the OPP. No one individual is always right or always wrong.

I often question why I remain on the OPP. Then, I remind myself of the numerous good people on the forums. By 'good', I mean those who are civil and accepting of other viewpoints without agreeing, necessarily. I prefer the company of such to those who always agree with me. I am more likely to learn something.

"A man's (person's) character may be learned from the adjectives which he habitually uses in conversation." [quote/] Mark Twain. Also, "People who fly into rage always make bad trips."

This has become an automatic response for some and they feel perfectly justified in doing so. Some are just bullies and this is another format for them to ply their trade in. Some people are overly sensitive to anything that sounds like criticism and they respond with verbal abuse, thus making it personal. I don't know how many times I've read through an entire post, just to see that it's a shouting match between two persons. That wastes my time, it wastes theirs as well, but that's their perogative.

When the news came (some almost 9 years ago) that I was about to become a grandmother for the first time, since I dabble in clay, I crafted a father sitting with his newborn after one that I had seen that was such a pleasant visual, and in the shadow box that father and child nestle in, I placed a printed copy of the following by Forest E. Witcraft. entitled "A Hundred Years From Now",... "A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drive but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a CHILD." As each of my three sons became fathers, I presented them with one of the shadow boxes, because the message is one of such importance.

This last month, much soul searching have I done, along with a lot of "looking in" on the OPP community, sometimes with hope as I see some obviously choosing a lighter tone, even in their rebukes of others, and sometimes in despair over the vitriol and mistrust displayed. During this time of looking in, introspection and "catch up" of things not necessarily ALL OPP, I came across my copy of "The Hundred Years From Now.." and it kept intruding in my thoughts when I read the threads on OPP, leading me to attempt to visualize the "real" people beyond the computer screens of vitriol and mistrust --, what "had" they, what "would" they, pass on to their children. In the past, from time to time, I have caught glimpses of kinder, gentler souls than what most who post present as on OPP. I can only hope that this is the legacy passed on to their children. Lest anyone wonder, toward the end of my introspection, someone very kind and unconnected to OPP helped me to see that when I am angered, I have an inability to "let go" of it, sometimes past all rational thought. I can only say I have thankfully NOT passed on to my children this lovely trait. This less than attractive side of me is something I intend to seriously work on, because I have come to discover the enemy IS me. Perhaps, even if the negativity of mistrust, vitriol, and anger, has not been passed on to our collective of children by all of us individually, the ripple effect out into the universe of the same that we project may well still be able to reach out and touch our children -- a thought worth pondering before hitting the "Send" button. Somehow, I suspect that none of us wish this to be our legacy to our children. Righteous "anger" feels "good" for a nanosecond, and then what....

When the news came (some almost 9 years ago) that I was about to become a grandmother for the first time, since I dabble in clay, I crafted a father sitting with his newborn after one that I had seen that was such a pleasant visual, and in the shadow box that father and child nestle in, I placed a printed copy of the following by Forest E. Witcraft. entitled "A Hundred Years From Now",... "A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drive but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a CHILD." As each of my three sons became fathers, I presented them with one of the shadow boxes, because the message is one of such importance.

This last month, much soul searching have I done, along with a lot of "looking in" on the OPP community, sometimes with hope as I see some obviously choosing a lighter tone, even in their rebukes of others, and sometimes in despair over the vitriol and mistrust displayed. During this time of looking in, introspection and "catch up" of things not necessarily ALL OPP, I came across my copy of "The Hundred Years From Now.." and it kept intruding in my thoughts when I read the threads on OPP, leading me to attempt to visualize the "real" people beyond the computer screens of vitriol and mistrust --, what "had" they, what "would" they, pass on to their children. In the past, from time to time, I have caught glimpses of kinder, gentler souls than what most who post present as on OPP. I can only hope that this is the legacy passed on to their children. Lest anyone wonder, toward the end of my introspection, someone very kind and unconnected to OPP helped me to see that when I am angered, I have an inability to "let go" of it, sometimes past all rational thought. I can only say I have thankfully NOT passed on to my children this lovely trait. This less than attractive side of me is something I intend to seriously work on, because I have come to discover the enemy IS me. Perhaps, even if the negativity of mistrust, vitriol, and anger, has not been passed on to our collective of children by all of us individually, the ripple effect out into the universe of the same that we project may well still be able to reach out and touch our children -- a thought worth pondering before hitting the "Send" button. Somehow, I suspect that none of us wish this to be our legacy to our children. Righteous "anger" feels "good" for a nanosecond, and then what....

This present generation of bad mouths and also the previous generation has had their reason tickled by the progressive brain washing done through the media and the movie industry. People have been given a crash course in stupidity by bombardment of sensationalism. The more atrocious they can make it , the more it sells. It is like a young teen ageer being introduced to sex for the first time. WOW! can this be real, can this be true? Give me more and more, and let me do it too.
But the consequences??? Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead.
We in this country seem to believe what they said in the sixties is the right way to behave. "If it feels good, do it!" What ever happened to common sense and civility?

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When I came to this site, several weeks ago, now, I had the same ambition and goals, to remain civil in my postings. But, to my disappointment, I soon found myself retaliating in kind to those who chose to attack me personally. That said, in my 1st post, I did say that I would return fire if fired upon.

I'm not very proud of myself when I lose my cool, but some people are just so over the top in their insults, that I can't restrain myself any further. However, there have been occasions that I regretted my responses. In fact, there are 2 people on this site that I have apologized to.

The OP is good food for thought. Thanks for posting it. Maybe you should do it on a regular basis, just to reset our civility.