What To Do When Someone Is Wrong On The Internet

I’m not sure the rest of you have noticed, but there are these people on the internet…

And they’re wrong!

Crazy, right? Have you seen them around? Run into any of them while you dawdle on the internet?

Maybe they’ve commented on your wall, or maybe you have a mutual friend, and you just COULDN’T let that comment go without a response. So you angrily concoct a retort, armed with the confidence that with your wit and your zingers and your logic, you’ll put them in their place. But it never seems to work.

Here’s the thing.

You don’t have to tell them they’re wrong. You don’t have to convince them. The chance of you changing the mind of a stranger in a mouse-by comment is next to zilch. You don’t have to waste any mental or emotional energy wondering how in the world their reality could be so drastically different from yours.

For the most part…

:::: deep breath :::

… you can just let them go.

You can take that time and energy and put it somewhere else. You can do some tangible good out in the world. You can get outside, away from the pixels and glowing screens. Facetime an old friend. Spend some time on that one project you’ve been putting off. You can put that energy into chasing that crazy dream that scares you, just enough.

And so can I.

Maybe.