One of the things I enjoyed especially at the beginning of my blogging experience was the comments. People actually wanted to say something about my posts. Sometimes, comments develop a life of their own and some great debate and dialogue occurs. Almost always, the comments have been positive and affirming.
I received one rather negative comment once and actually deleted the whole post because I didn't want to be reminded of that person's unkind words. More recently, some people who are near and dear to me have been on the receiving end of some very unkind and inconsiderate words. Sometimes, these commenters remain anonymous. Other times, they make their identity known.
I know that when we bloggers post, we open ourselves up to the scrutiny of others. We share our opinions, knowing that other people might not always agree. I suppose that is a risk we take. There are many things that I will not post about because I'm afraid that people may misunderstand where I'm coming from and will say something that can send me into a downward spiral of insecurity and self-doubt. Many posts are not written and real sharing of the heart does not occur.
I suppose the internet is not the best place for sharing the deepest secrets of one's heart. These words are out there for millions of people to see and we must expect that someone can take our words and misread them, flip them around and jumble them up so that their true meaning is lost.
Most of the bloggers I know have been hurt by comments at one time or another. But we still post. I am glad that you are willing to continue writing because I find great pleasure in hearing stories about your children, work, trips, ponderings of your hearts, things that frustrate you and everything else that finds its way onto your blog.
What I have appreciated so much is the way commenters will defend bloggers when an unkind and thoughtless comment has been made. I think that is something about this blogging community that I have really come to respect.
Comments are less important to me now than they were at the beginning. I guess I've evolved a bit that way. I just enjoy blogging as a way to remind myself of my day to day life. If people want to leave a comment or not is fine with me.
However, I really believe in the old saying, "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all."
Better yet, this verse from the bible (Ephesians 4:29) says it all:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,
but only what is helpful for building others up
according to their needs,
that it may benefit those who listen.
