When my family and I lived at East Wind we had something called the Back Wall. It was a wall filled with clipboards at the back of the dining hall where people could write whatever they wanted. Whatever they wanted about anything and anyone. Now, it was intended, I think, to be a way to foster communication about topics, needs, and issues in the community. What happened though, too often, was that it became a place for people to write negative things about people, personal things.
That, of course, led to hurt feelings and often attacks verbally. Not the best way to handle communicating with your community.
When I moved to our small town I was told about an online bulletin board that allows people to share information and discuss public (and often personal) issues. It is hosted by two women in town who do not charge to host it and do not charge people to be part of the conversation.
This often becomes the place where negative things are posted, just like the clip boards on the back wall. People write about pieces of things that they know, they share their opinion about everything, and they often think they are the only one that could be right on any given subject.
I recently wrote on this blog about judging and sharing your opinion about everything everyone does and how I wish to be part of the Mind Your Own Business club. It is precisely because of these two experiences that I see this as so valuable an exercise.
Photo Credit: RicMcArthur
The reality is we never know the whole story about something - whether it be public issues or private. We are not personally effected by everything that happens around us or to other people and therefore our comments are often just fuel for some other persons fight.
If we care about a person or an issue why don't we approach them and ask how we can help? Not telling them (or the world) how they should be doing it, but how can we help make things better. If we don't want to put the action into the process why do we feel the need to comment at all?
Talk is just talk - the real work comes when we actively get involved to make change happen. So, again, I am working towards Minding My Own Business.
