I confess I’ve been troubled by a recent interaction here and then yesterday in reading an old thread about the early days at Gunshop.com I came across this from Walt Snyder. It was 14 years ago.
“I too miss the old days. We didn’t always agree but we didn’t attack each other. There was respect and civility.”
Last week a member listed a gun for sale and within minutes it seemed his integrity was questioned regarding his description of the gun. Coincidentally, I had just had an interaction with that man a few days prior regarding another listing. I noticed something in that particular description that I believed to be in error so I took the chance and wrote him a PM. In response, I received a gracious thank you and he immediately corrected the listing. Without knowing the gentleman that told me all I needed to know about his character.
I understand that conversations reflect culture - the meta culture and our own particular micro culture(s). But they don’t have to. I still have a choice as to what and how I speak. As we’re in this season of celebrating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, this “little” incident in our community here has freshened up my own personalized application of one of His teachings:
Speak to/about others the way I’d like them to speak to/about me.
I’m going to be more conscious of that during this Christmas season and into the New Year. And if I forget, every time I look up from my loading bench, I’ll be reminded.
(Apparently, Carl Sandburg found Lincoln’s words important enough in his own life to copy them down and put them up in his own line of sight.)