Growing up, I often heard the term "garbage in, garbage out". What you put in your body or your brain is what your body or brain will become. If you eat junk, your health will suffer. If you watch or read nothing but junk, then your mind will suffer.
It really makes sense.
But I've noticed something else in our new and "improved" age of social media, and it's a reverse of that above saying.
Garbage out, garbage in.
If you post negatives all day on the Internet, the "garbage out", you will receive lots of negativity back to you. Maybe it's what you want and maybe what you actually put out there is not garbage, but what others need to read. But you cannot be shocked or dismayed if you are attacked.
I guess you can be dismayed because it can be depressing to realize so many do not think the way you do and really you can feel any way you want, it's a free country...at least for awhile. But by spewing your "truths", you need to examine what you are putting out there. Maybe it's righteous words of truth and maybe, just maybe it's garbage.
Garbage out, garbage in.
If you decide that you are going to be the world's solver of all problems, or the solver of problems of a high school basketball program or college basketball program, if you descend into condescending attacks towards anyone who disagree with you, you are putting garbage out. Sure, it might make you feel better to take the low road, it's easier, but by doing so you've descended into the muck and the mire of the world. And you can best believe, they will sling, sling, and sling some more. And maybe, you are the slinger when you think you are the slingee.
But what I've noticed is that those who are doing the "garbage out, garbage in" really don't start with garbage out. They are products of garbage in and they are angry and ready to strike. Maybe it's legit anger and maybe it's because of their unrealistic expectations.
Which do you choose to be? I try...I try to put more positives out than negatives, but some times accountability and the "truth" comes off as negative. Then you choose to learn and continue the good fight, you choose to be silenced, or....you descend into ignorance.
And don't we owe our children, others, and ourselves to keep from descending into that realm of ignorance? I think so.
