Once again International Talk Like a Pirate Day has come and gone and raucous growling voices have 360 or so days to cool and heal before bellowing at the heart of existence again next year. We receive so many notes – stories and pictures of positivity and joy that we can only feel blessed by our own accidental connection to all of this. But there are always a few people – suffering some wound or damage that has made the happiness of others unbearably painful to themselves – and they seemingly can’t keep that pain contained within their ever-darkening hearts. They look to injure. They lash out in a desire to cause pain. One such person sent us an anonymous message asserting that his opinion of International Talk Like a Pirate Day’s value was the final word on the subject and that we, as its founders should immediately end our own lives. He wanted us to die – at our own hands – for the whimsical crime of encouraging the celebration of a day to act silly and have fun. He (or she, I don’t want to make gender assumptions) – is a common part of young people’s experience in the world of social media. He (or she) is a “cyber-bully.” His (or her) assertion and suggestion mean nothing to salty ol’ pirates like Ol’ Chumbucket and meself. But it got me thinking about all the people who care what this person – and thousands like them trolling the internet to unleash their venom behind the anonymity of screen names and cowardice – think when they are the targets of such excrement. So here is my suggestion to all those tender children and gentle souls who find themselves baited by sad, damaged people who only know how to reach out with bile and hatred. Just follow Cap’n Slappy’s three-step guide for dealing with a cyber-bully. a) Sigh. Just breathe it out and let it go. You didn’t cause the “yuck” that rules their lives and it’s not yours to fix or correct. Engaging a cyber-bully is like suggesting that the plank is far too long before you walk it – neither will result in a satisfying outcome. b) Delete. Block. Expel. Banish. Maroon. It’s like scooping Fido’s little gifts from the back yard. It does nobody any good to look at it and the sooner it’s gone, the fresher the air gets. c) Go hug someone you love. These are the REAL people in your world and you are taking the energy created by negativity and making it positive – there must be a physics equation that fits here – but I’m just a pirate – what do I know about physics? If every person took the nastiness that enters their lives and turned it into a positive … we would quickly run out of all sorts of bullies. And that’s it. The message was deleted the moment I saw it (after a sigh, of course) and this wee missive is for those who enjoy (or at least tolerate) our frivolity. It is, in fact, my “hug” to you. Never let someone else’s damage become your damage. They need to work that out for themselves.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 00:32:09 +0000
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