Idiot-proof!

    Posting on the web is like eating chocolate: indulgent, pervasive, humiliating, and addictive.  So many people spend several hours a day perusing, net-working, communicating, etc. with an object (the screen) in front of them that provides a view of the world from a one-way mirror.  We see out, but no one can see in.

Right?

Perhaps not.

    Using the web is like having a license to drive a car built solely for hit-and-run accidents.  It's a "go right ahead, nothing to lose" message to everyone and anyone. Literally (everytime I launch, I see "post your blog here!" in my face).

    I suppose many people call that free speech. I tend to view it as free dictating. The "free" part is true enough. However, the meaning of "speech" implies more than one, whether it be more than one word, idea, or speaker.  I think that there are far too many speakers unwilling to be listeners, and what that creates is a cesspool of thoughts which go unchallenged, unheard, or unacknowledged altoghether

  Ultimately, our own selfish nature leads us here.  Cowardice makes us stay. It's very simple to log off , to make yourself "invisible" from your email account, or to say something harsh, rude, or just plain mean when you can look away and avoid the consequences.  Try that in real life, with your neighbor, your sister, your co-worker, and see if that works in for you. Well, it doesn't.
 
    The web provides the illusion of anonymity, but if we are any sort of self-aware person, we are not anonymous to the most important listener, ourself.

  Of course, I am a coward, as well. Otherwise, why would I be just one of billions of other idiots hiding behind pixels?

Happy Writing. -LM