I recently had a conversation over the Internet that made me lose my temper. I must admit it. I’m not the type with the most patience, especially when I get caught by surprise by other people’s unexpected behavior. But I have noticed something. I have noticed that people tend to be more rude over the Internet than at real life (at face-to-face encounters).
I don’t know why. Maybe there is a sense that whatever one says over the virtual world doesn’t really exist, that it isn’t quite real. Maybe there is a sense of being able to get away with it easily because you can choose to not use your real name or because you can just turn off your device or block people instantly and never get to encounter them again.
Whatever it may be, I hope we can still be courteous and respectful of others even if we are not able to see them face to face. We may be able to get away with what we say for a while, but we can never get away from who we are. We are the very witnesses to the things we say and whatever we say shapes the kind of person we become.
The thing about hope is that it’s a positive force that shines the most when it’s dark. When everything’s going well, we hardly notice it’s there. But when things go against us, when our dreams fade and when we see no immediate reprieve from our troubles, that’s when hope does its best work for us.
"Where Hope Can Be Found"