Faceless

Social media is a powerful and dangerous tool, giving us unprecedented opportunities to share thoughts and opinions with virtually everyone, for better or worse.

Used mindfully and compassionately, it can bring us together, supporting our shared humanity,
and strengthening our sense of community; used carelessly, it can tear us apart, spreading fear and hatred like a cancer.

The choice is ours.

How easily
we are seduced
by the thrill of judgement
and righteous indignation,
when we may vilify anyone,
in our digital jungle,
without the awkwardness
of having to face
whoever we attack.

How quickly
we have become
the faceless arbiters
of nearly everything,
railing against the world
that we imagine
in our darkest fears,
safe behind our screens,
marinating in our own opinions,
drunk with the agreement
of other angry souls.

How far we have fallen
down this slope of vitriol,
abandoning civility
and kindness,
when it is so much easier
to insult or accuse
than to face another human
with compassion and respect.

How have we forgotten
to talk to one another
as if objective reality mattered,
as if what we hold in common mattered,
as if EVERYONE mattered?

How have we ignored
the simple truth
that those we disapprove of
are human, too?

How can we reclaim
our shared humanity,
rejecting the dangerous myths
that seems to separate us,
and embracing
what binds us?