When Your Friends Join the Anti-People Camp
10 ways to respond to social media toxicity without growing horns
As the saying goes, birds of the same feathers fly together. And as it is for birds, so it is for men. Supposedly. Because when you show me your friends, I’ll tell you who you are.
Our world accommodates them all — the good, the bad, and the toxic. There is no place to hide, even if you want to. But you have a choice. You can decide which class you will be in.
Love it or hate it, social media has become an integral aspect of our daily existence. This trend is particularly prominent among youthful users between the ages of 18 and 34 who constitute the majority of users.
The multiplicity of social media’s benefits to contemporary life is accompanied by a flip side of unintended consequences.
How?
Social media harbors an almost infinite capacity for misuse.
Some social media disadvantages include the following:
Distraction and reduced productivity due to time wastage.
Mobile phone addiction due to FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
Manipulation, misinformation, and the spreading of falsehood.
Stress, depression, and anxiety out of fear of not meeting up with some of the unwholesome standards being promoted via social media.
Constant online presence leads to both physical and mental health issues.
Invasion of personal privacy and being at risk of cybercriminals.
Since You Hate Evil, Here’s How to Escape Being Suckered Into It.
Ordinary people like you and me can become willful accomplices in the perpetuation of evil. Here’s how we can escape…medium.com
“Why do some people choose to align themselves with evil?”
Every so often, you and some of your long-time trusted friends will be on opposite sides of some heated social media topic. You will find some of your friends stubbornly and ignorantly siding with toxic leaders and anti-people issues.
Am I inferring that we must always see eye-to-eye and reechoing each other’s points of view on all issues? Certainly not.
Some issues have no gray areas. They fall into two categories: good or bad, for the people or anti-people. Yet, some of our friends choose to side with evil.
Why?
Because of the allure of toxic leaders and influencers, stupidity, and morbid preference for personal gain at the expense of the common good.
The destruction of our world is caused not only by the wrongdoing of evil actors but also by the silence of those who love us too deeply to tell us the truth.
Consider.
Had the great U.S of A been the victim of Oct 7 attacks, would Hamas, their supporters, and leaders have had anywhere to hide? Is there any country that would support Hamas or their leaders, and accomplices against America?
Yet thousands the world over are quick to label you a hater for insisting that the deliberately planned mass murder of thousands of people is genocide. These same individuals entice thousands more of their people into early graves in an avoidable conflict and then accuse you of supporting genocide.
Many people, faced with corrupt governments and rigged elections in their home countries, swiftly lend support to a leader who chooses to eliminate political rivals by poisoning them or throwing them out of high-rise buildings.
This is the world we are living in.
But,
He who fights with monsters should look to it that he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.
~ Friedrich Nietzsche
What actions should you take when your friends promote evil on social media?
Your friends’ support for bad actors may be unintentional. Moreover, the issues in question may take on various shades of gray. Therefore, confronting those on the wrong or hurtful side could be challenging.
Here are some steps you can take:
Maintain good relationships. It is not worthwhile losing friends and jeopardizing family relationships because of social media politics. When you need live support, social media politicians and influencers will be out of your reach, but your friends and family are those who come to your rescue.
Don’t rush to judgment. Depending on the circumstances, it may be wise to delay addressing the issue. Do not resort to taking sides or making hasty pronouncements.
Don’t compromise on principles. Remember Rachel’s Challenge: “evil is evil even if everybody is doing it.” Dare to live and stand for your convictions.
Avoid heated arguments. Remember, most of the time, social media doesn’t change people’s minds and conditions. Herd instinct and group social dynamics can influence people to dig deeper into what is evil.
Follow The “See, Act, Judge”Process. This method helps you to stop, stand back from a situation, and reflect on it before taking action.
Stay informed on the issues involved so you won’t take the wrong side because of your ignorance or insufficient knowledge. First, seek to understand before seeking to be understood.
Respect individuals' freedom of opinion and choice, provided it doesn't pose a risk to others. The best approach may be to block or walk away from those groups. They have their ways, but you retain your priceless peace of mind, sanity, and sound mental health.
Take time off from social media. This can improve your health and general well-being.
Follow this injunction, be “quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.” ~ James 1:19 Holy Bible (NASB)
Audit your social media life. You may have to scrutinize your social media groups and exit those that neither share your values nor add meaning to your life.
Live Not By Lies
When violence bursts onto the peaceful human condition, its face is flush with self-assurance, it displays on its banner and proclaims: “I am Violence! Make way, step aside, I will crush you!”
But violence ages swiftly, a few years pass — and it is no longer sure of itself. To prop itself up, to appear decent, it will without fail call forth its ally — Lies. For violence has nothing to cover itself with but lies, and lies can only persist through violence.
And it is not every day and not on every shoulder that violence brings down its heavy hand: It demands of us only a submission to lies, a daily participation in deceit — and this suffices as our fealty.
And therein we find, neglected by us, the simplest, the most accessible key to our liberation: a personal nonparticipation in lies! Even if all is covered by lies, even if all is under their rule, let us resist in the smallest way: Let their rule hold not through me!
~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Live Not by Lies)
Your Takeaways
“Deep calls unto the deep.” And birds of the same feathers fly together.
These days, some of our heroes and heroines of yesteryears are kissing the grounds of King Nebuchadnezzar’s clay-feet idol. Shouldn’t we exercise discernment, and with courage, hold our ground when our revered friends break ranks?
Whenever you’re compelled by circumstances to relate with dissenting voices or those who deliberately chose the evil side out of stupidity or malignancy, these ten tips will help you to stay firm.
Go with them.
Break The Charm of Malevolent Leaders
Book Review: Professor Jean Lipman-Blumen shows how to escape the allure of toxic leaders.medium.com
Sources
Social Media Users 2024 (Global Data & Statistics) | Priori Data
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Center — Solzhenitsyn Live Not by Lies
Thanks for your reading time.
This story was originally published by the author on Medium.
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