Being new to this blogging platform, but not so new to life online, I've experienced the epiphany of just how careful one must be when putting things "out there" on the web. There's always that hesitancy to post anything because of the weight of knowing what I write and send in to the vastness of cyberspace cannot be taken back.
Moderating myself isn't really a new concept for me, but it is something I admittedly need to practice. I've spent my whole life saying things out loud that a more diplomatic person would instinctively know not to say.
A lot of those thoughts can be chalked up to not engaging brain before mouth. Many times, what I think is a completely neutral observation is someone else's insult. I have, on many occasions, skipped out on giving feedback about something simply because I had nothing nice to say. I can be brutally honest - please don't ask if you don't really want my honest opinion.
I’m also conflicted about moderating myself too much – I mean, on the one hand, it’s my blog and I’ll write what I dern well want to write and on the other, I'm thinkin' how silly it is that some people are so quick to let their hackles rise or get their feelers bent. Sometimes I think they just enjoy the drama. I mean really, a lot of people could be a lot happier if they didn't hang on to stuff so much. Grow a thicker skin. Ya' know?
I don't have too many thin-skinned friends. Most of my friends understand that I am a really nice, loyal, fun person with less than my share of tact. I don't say purposely hurtful or mean things, but I may say something that can be taken much differently than I intended.
Does it bother me to burn a bridge? Rarely. What bothers me more are bridges to nowhere. Loose ends. Dangling participles. Closed relationships without closure. Those situations are where my brutal honesty works to my advantage.
