Geez... I'm glad I'm no longer a teenager...
There are some topics I've learned to avoid with certain people—especially friends and family. They are topics I know will lead to an argument if I bring them up. So I don't.
But this wasn't always the case. As a teenager, I was eager to show off my intellectual prowess.
I wanted to prove others wrong—and in particular my parents. And so at the family table, we've had plenty of arguments.
Today, I like to think I'm a little wiser.
I'm not yet all Keanu Reeves about this, who's often quoted as having said something along the lines of
I’m at that stage in my life where I stay out of arguments. So even if you say 1+1=5, you’re absolutely right — have fun.
I might still debate you—especially if we are five people in a burning airplane and you try to convince me that two parachutes are enough for all of us. But I no longer treat arguing as a sport where the winner gets a gold medal.
I know there’s no gold medal.
These days, I'm more interested in getting along. And that's not only true in real life, but also online, which brings me to this week's story.
Like it or not, if you regularly share your thoughts on the Internet, someone will eventually disagree with you vehemently. And when that happens, it's good to not just act like an immature teenager—a teenager who is not yet secure in their own identity and has an overwhelming need to prove something to the world.
Instead, you have a chance to act like an actual self-confident adult.
How to Deal with Angry Comments from Readers
8 strategies that have worked for me
If you ever write a story that takes off, you’ll face a horde of people sweeping in who have no idea who you are. And that’s great. You want new people to find you. That’s the whole point of publishing your words online.
However, if the topic you wrote about is even slightly controversial, some of these people are likely to misinterpret your well-argued and nuanced essay and instead of engaging in a civilized exchange of opinions, they’ll immediately declare you an enemy that needs to be squashed.
They’ll furiously …
Thanks for reading!
— David