Comments for The Modern Gal

Comment on What to do about peace, love and understanding? by Dorie

Dorie — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:47:55 +0000

I totally think Noodles’ idea is fabulous! Spread the kindness! Spread the happy!
I once blogged about how some random stranger in the car head of me paid my toll and how it completely made my day. Now, whenever I go through the toll booth, I do the same thing (if I have enough money to get back through it on my way home). Let’s all find other ways we can make the world a little bit brighter. Yeah, there’s lots of negativity, but I guarantee you those little kindnesses will brighten folks’ days. And maybe we can get them to remember that happy feeling rather than the sadness that comes with the rest of the crap out there.

Comment on What to do about peace, love and understanding? by Emily

Emily — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:42:28 +0000

Oh MG I am right there with you. Its hard isn’t it – the world can kind’ve seem like there are mainly horrid people in it. I’m not sure what the answer is but I wanted to let you know you’re not the only person who feels like this. I wonder why its so hard to get perspective?

Comment on What to do about peace, love and understanding? by Allie

Allie — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:59:40 +0000

It’s so sad that the hate and anger get publicized so much. Having done so much traveling this summer, and getting the opportunity to meet so many people, I have been really in awe of just how wonderful people can be. There’s so much kindness and so many people who have thoughts and emotions and take actions that would never make for a splashy “after the commercial break” lead-in. I wish kindness got more attention, because I think that would be the best way to spread it around. Giving voice to all the people spewing hatred makes it seem like the norm, and that really sucks.

Comment on What to do about peace, love and understanding? by Kristin T. (@kt_writes)

Kristin T. (@kt_writes) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:42:04 +0000

I can really relate to your frustration, weariness, and helplessness, but I am encouraged in a strange way. It feels like we’re reaching some sort of tipping point in regards to negativity—like we’re getting close to saying “enough is enough!” I’m glad that you’re asking the difficult, practical questions, like this: “But is it possible to spread that kind of love and support that we experience on a micro level to society at large?” As the frustration level rises and spreads, we need to be ready to step in with a different way to live and relate to others.

Comment on What to do about peace, love and understanding? by sizzle

sizzle — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:23:23 +0000

It’s hard to find the positive but it IS out there. I can barely stand to watch the news- it’s so negative. For me, I just try to put good positivity out there and surround myself with people who want the same.

Comment on What to do about peace, love and understanding? by Noodles

Noodles — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:51:15 +0000

One of my favoritest Web sites (yes, I refuse to type website, new style be damned) is Kindovermatter.blogspot.com. It’s full of great little reminders and pictures and it’s the equivalent of taking a deep breath on life. But one the SUPER cool things they have is a section of free printables (http://kindovermatter.blogspot.com/p/kind-over-matters-freebies.html) and they have several PDFs you can print out of kindness cards. The deal is that you print out a few and randomly leave them where ever you go, literally spreading the kindess reminders in your wake. I love the idea.

This one is kindness quotes: http://kindovermatter.blogspot.com/2010/04/freebie-printable-army-of-kind.html

This one is positive statements: http://kindovermatter.blogspot.com/2009/09/freebie-printable-create-positive.html

I love this one, too. http://kindovermatter.blogspot.com/2009/05/freebie-printable-quotation-cards.html

Maybe you can challenge your readers (and have them challenge their own) to have a spread the kindness campaign full of random acts of niceities. And a deliberate moratorium of all the ways we’re intentionally and unintentionally jerky. Cutting people off, not holding a door, thinking that you want to strangle the screaming kid that’s behind you in the checkout line at the grocery store.

I think Courtney’s point is a good one, but I worry about what happens when we get so comfortable with our online anonymity and the power it gives us that we find such behaviors creeping into our offline lives. Just a thought.

Comment on What to do about peace, love and understanding? by themoderngal

themoderngal — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:25:05 +0000

This is a great comment, and I appreciate you taking the time to leave it.

I always feel better when I unplug and just ignore the crap that’s out there on the Internet, but I also can’t help but wondering if by ignoring it, I’m only allowing the problem to fester. Should I also be doing more to counter those ‘worst kind of people’?

Comment on What to do about peace, love and understanding? by courtney

courtney — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 20:37:55 +0000

I was just pondering a post about this very subject! I think it was brought on by the YouTube videos I watched earlier — three girls made a video of themselves ripping up Justin Bieber posters, and then another girl made a video saying she’d hit the first girls with a full wine bottle if she ever met them, because they desecrated the holy Bieber. I laughed, but was disturbed at the same time.

Here’s what I think: The Internet is a dumping ground for the worst of people. People say all kinds of stuff when they’re hidden behind an alias, things they wouldn’t necessarily say to someone’s face. That doesn’t mean there aren’t good things online, because there certainly are, but it’s a lot easier to be mean when you don’t have to look at the face of the person you’re insulting.

I’ve seen a lot of hatred over the mosque too, and it disappoints me, but I try to keep in mind that negativity and bigotry are nothing new. The Internet makes it more accessible to us, and so I don’t blame you for getting bogged down by it, but some people always have been (and, sadly, probably always will be) racist and judgmental. It’s just how some people are, and unfortunately, people voice their opinions online these days.

The way I see it, I can’t do anything about what those people say, but I *can* do something about how it affects me. You can choose to be part of the problem, or you can choose to be part of the solution. I choose to be part of the solution by not putting out mean things on the Internet. You’re part of the solution, too, lady, so chin up.

Thus concludes my longest comment ever.

Comment on On love, life and death by Ed Cyzewski

Ed Cyzewski — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:03:41 +0000

“…you never want to go back to black and white.”
Wow, so true. Beautiful.

Comment on On love, life and death by Ms Lollygagger

Ms Lollygagger — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:21:28 +0000

I watched this yesterday b/c someone else posted it on their blog…I was bawling at work! So sweet though!