Thank you for writing this, Clay Rivers . I agree with alto that this should be in a Medium welcome packet.

Medium has been my first experience of being on a social platform with strangers (as in people who are not accountable to me in real life).

I certainly expected differences of opinion and debate, and I had heard about trolls from fairy tales. But, to become a target of sophomoric behavior, downright nastiness and what occasionally appeared to be deeply disturbed minds was a shock nonetheless.

“I guess I have arrived,” I thought the first time some creep spammed my Facebook account. I didn’t even know FB had a block function until then.

You are right. None of us can control others. We can only control ourselves. We can choose to react or take a deep breath and respond.

I’m choosing to take my less than pleasant interactions and turn them into exercieses in self-control. But that’s my choice, and I generally feel emotionally up to the task.

I’m hoping through this discipline I will gain life skills that may be useful in situations where blocking isn’t an option. I also hope I can provide a public service by damping some of the flames.

But, if it ever gets too much or seems dangerous, I know what to do. “Shields up, Mr. Sulu!”