History of Feminism
In reply to the discussion: What happened when I confronted my cruellest troll [View all]vlyons
(10,252 posts)We have a concept in Buddhism called "right speech." The concept is not unique to Buddhism, and we all know what it is. It's to not lie, to not say hurtful things, to use words to reconcile people, to calm afflictive emotions, to inspire to better and more beneficial behaviors. The people that purposely troll to be hurtful are deeply disturbed mentally. I don't get deluged by these folks because I don't engage in tit-for-tat insults. But I do ask them why they delight in being hurtful. Or I might ask if they remember the first time they felt hurt by mean-spirited words. Or I might tell them that their words don't make me angry because words are not that powerful. Words are just sound moving thru the air, or electrical impulses received by my computer. Or I might ask them what it feels like to walk around with so much hatred inside their heart. Would they like to trade in that anger and hatred for happiness? I don't know what effect my responses have, but I'd like to think that at lease a few of them pause for a moment to think about it.