I sit down for a few minutes every morning to read the daily Abilene paper on my computer. Something the online paper has that the physical paper does not, is the ability to make a comment on an article. It does not really matter what the article is about, most comments about the article boil down to just a few topics. Some of the favorite topics boil down to:

1. Our elected or appointed officials are corrupt and are not leading us in the right direction.
2. You are not very intelligent for believing what you believe, and I am superior to you because I believe something different.

These are not my opinions; yet these seem to be what comes out in the comments about articles in the paper.

For one reason or another we are extremely hard on those that have been elected to serve or who have been appointed to serve our schools, communities, counties, state, etc…. We all do it. It is easy to criticize those who have been placed in a position of leadership. It is easy to believe that someone else could do a better job, or at least address my concerns, in a timely manner. It is easy to make accusations when the chances of anyone knowing who really made the comment are slim. How often do we complain about things going on in civic organization, our church, our school, etc. but never sit down with the powers that be to discuss the things we see wrong? We are quick to complain, but slow to bring these matters up with those who need to hear or can make a difference regarding our complaint/”observation.”

We don’t deal well with those who believe differently than we do. We believe differently about so many things, education, politics, religions, etc. At some point in time, having interactions with others who believe differently than we do has become a more combative interaction. We are all guilty of it. It may be co-workers from different generations, or people affiliated with different groups or organizations, etc., or we may come into contact with others who believe differently than we do. Most of us are at least somewhat polite to their face, but behind closed doors or in the confines of likeminded people we feel free to make them anything but human.
People do the same thing everywhere you go. To some extent, we distrust those who work to serve the greater good of our organization or community. We feel threatened or superior to those who believe differently than we do. But taking pot shots at others does not benefit the community we are a part of.

What are you going to do? Are you going to take pot shots at people from behind a computer screen, or at the local coffee shop, or the closest salon? Or are you going to take your concerns to someone that has the ability to make changes on a particular issue that concerns you?