Sometimes I wonder if people really understand just how hurtful their words can be to others…  I have been in television for a long time and over the years have gotten many strange and rude e-mails or comments so at this point in my career I have developed a “thick skin” for the most part - when I worked in Bluefield I would sometimes call my mom crying over some horrible criticism of my hair or my jewelry… I would ask her how someone could be so mean… about something that seemed so meaningless to me… “Why don’t people care this much about the stories we are reporting?”  She would always tell me that some people were just insecure… or jealous… or perhaps just critical and that I needed to get a thick skin and let those comments roll off my back like water on a duck’s back… I repeated that mantra for a long time before it stuck… 

People mind their manners at work because their Human Resources Department tells them to… and their job may be at stake if they don’t… but outside of work and over the internet people sometimes lose all filters for what is right and what isn’t… What about your reputation being at stake?

When you repeat a rumor… all you are doing is adding a little bit of gasoline to an already out of control fire…  as I get older I realize that I have my hands full trying to keep my own life straight… Why on Earth would I want to concern myself over issues someone else is having?

The internet has made this even worse…people fire off random e-mails into cyberspace - things I am certain they would not be able to look another person in the eye and say… perhaps they could… I know that I couldn’t…

Before you repeat a rumor - ask yourself how much harm you may be doing?  What joy will you get out of planting a seed of negativity about another human being?  Will it make you feel better about your own life to assume someone else is having problems?... here’s a clue… none of us lives a life so perfect that there are always sunny positive days..  we all have issues from time to time and the same way you wouldn’t want someone talking about your troubles they don’t want you talking about theirs…

Try spreading some good news… share a smile… tell someone they did a good job or give out a thank you… random acts of kindness make you feel much better in the long run than any short-lived satisfaction you get from feeling like you were the first to spread dirt.