What happens in a vacuum.

I was listening to a book on tape (CD) the other day that was discussing calmness, peaceful attitudes and the laws of nature (a.k.a. Karma).  The book was "The Majesty of Calmness" written by William George Jordan.  His book was first published around 1900 and I in my opinion is even more relevant today.  There is so much coming at us and from all directions these days that it is easy for one to become distracted ... if not misguided.

Today's society no longer seems to place any degree of value on privacy.  We are posting our entire lives online for everyone to see and we crave a bigger and bigger audience each day.  Have you ever posted something that you just thought was adorable, but you got mad when you only had 37 likes and 2 comments?  "The nerve of that Mary Catherine ... I liked and commented on the picture of her golden doodle eating her famous bundt cake off the kitchen table ... and she couldn't even like the video of my little Sniffles chasing the laser light!  I might need to unfriend her!"

Everything from this morning's breakfast to their kids sleeping to who they are hating on.  By the way, your breakfast looks great, your kids are adorable and I'm sure you don't hate me ... but I'm curious who that "mean" person was?

In any case, as I was driving and absorbing Mr. Jordan's wisdom I began thinking about things that I say and do, things that I see and hear and things that others are saying, doing and POSTING for everyone in the world to see and/or hear.  And I realize that life doesn't happen in a vacuum!  Please think twice, maybe three times before you post the "hater" message.  Proof read your text messages and emails.  Read them out loud to yourself.  Have a trusted and respected friend review it before you click send or post.  Spelling and grammar should be easy for the app or software to check for you ... but I haven't found the 'meaning' or 'intent' button.  It use to be that if words came out of your mouth ... you couldn't take them back; and if you mailed that letter with your "feelings" to a relative or ex-boyfriend ... you couldn't get it back.  Now it's the aforementioned and if you: email it; post it; text it; snap chat it; Instagram it; ... you can't get it back.  Mr. Jordan discusses the need for calmness as a self-preservation tool because the law of nature or karma will see to it that the score is evened.

Mr. Jordan tells a story of a ferocious eagle swooping down from the blue sky to attack a heron.  The mighty eagle is sure to be the victor as it is diving with ever increasing speed the helpless heron  However, before the eagle can adjust the heron turns it's pointed and long beak at it's predator and turns the eagle into prey.

If your intent is to "slay" someone one or publicly shame them think twice about what you are posting, what you are saying about the other person (albeit anonymously) and think about what you are saying about your character.  Besides in the land of "I have a thousand friends" ... how many are really your friends and how many "friends" does the other person have?  You might think you are the eagle ... but remember, it doesn't always end well for the eagle.