Why I Love Medium & You Will Too
I was recently reading a story on Medium by Anita Malik. It is why this platform stands out from the rest. Two people who would likely not meet in the world, would not share the same experience over social media, but are drawn here. Medium is a place people gather to inspire and encourage one another without fear of the trolls.
Trolls exist in our daily lives, but the internet gives them teeth and claws. The anonymity that other platforms provide gives them shadows to lurk and terrorize people to make themselves feel better.
I have slain trolls my entire life, but even the strongest of us can find our tanks on empty.
Recently I decided to update my wikipedia page. I come to my profile to find that someone has been consistently altering it for a few years. A troll is trying to erase my life and accomplishments from the wiki pages. It was trolls like this that made me want to take a break in the first place. It is exhausting working in an environment full of petty politics. Now imagine working in that environment but politics is also our business. I was a State Representative in Missouri. I was elected fresh from graduation in june to taking my seat in August.
Our youth is a time for mistakes. If no one has said it, I am saying it now.
The pressure that we continue to mount on people younger and younger is only going to cause more burnout. I made mistakes, but what hurt more was the petty politics they were using to attack me personally. I hid health issues which I discuss in my upcoming story, Living With Lupus. Where there is blood in the water, the trolls go into a frothing frenzy. It was a powerful learning experience that gave I was adrift for a while. Then I found Medium.
Here’s Looking At You Kid
Medium has been a great place, it is like a digital Casablanca. For those of you who do not know, Casablanca is an american film classic made in 1942 starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, and Peter Lorre. You probably do not know who they are, but fortunately they do not have trolls so I linked them with their wikipedia page.
Medium is like Casablanca in a sense that people from all walks of life, expatriates from everywhere find themselves sitting on a stool listening to a story. It seems that the person next to you has had a similar experience, different field, different expectations, but you still feel the twinkling inside.
The twinkling we feel when we come across kindred spirits. There is nothing like the excitement of talking to someone who understands. The exchange of ideas and encouragement is the fuel that drives leaders. With so many pretenders given virtual platforms it has become hard to tell.
Not so on Medium. You sink or swim on the strength of your work. Hard to believe, right?
We are all former somethings, but on Medium we are writers looking to share our experience in hopes that the lessons we have learned and processed can become tools for others to use on their journey.
A Brief Respite
I love movies, indeed I believe the internet is the reason I can pursue my passion. I am currently seeking investment for my startup. We want our digital channel to be a new outlet for great storytelling. No this isn’t a product shilling, so I am not going to say the name. Even so, without Medium I may not have made the decision to push on. I was empty. I was going to give up.
I have been publishing on Medium for about two years. It was hard coming out of my shell after feeling I had been bombed into submission. I was hit hard on all fronts.
It was a time of great personal darkness, but Medium became my light.
Thankfully the light is still on after I seeing the damage to my wikipedia page by trolls. I’d written it with a coworker nearly ten years ago, how could I remember everything. I remember winning Legislator of the Year a few times, but there was more, but obviously someone did not want anyone to remember. It is actually quite funny when you consider the situation.
For the past four years someone has taken time from their day to look up my wikipedia page in order to make edits. They could have put all of the negative articles written on me, instead my troll was taking my past piece by piece.
You’re thinking, how can you not remember? I was not in office to stack up awards, I was there to do a job. Is that not why we write things down, so we do not forget? I am good, no I am a great politician. That may be a bad word, but I believe it takes courage today.
After all, how do you think I got a troll infestation. Looking back on what I went though, it was because I was making a difference. Which leads me back to Anita Malik. Her story was the final gallon to refuel my tank.
A Dramatic Re-Enactment
Highway Night:
Two paths are about to cross, two strangers driving on the road of life. One is on the side of the road with their hazards blinking. The second stranger looks in the mirror, I’ve got problems of my own she thinks. Then at the last second, she pulls over.
Side of Highway:
Turns out before they came to the side of the road they both had similar experiences. They sit on the trunk of the car with the lights blinking in the dark. They listen to each other talk, laughing intermittently, nodding with understanding at other times.
Cut to:
Jonas and Anita, our two strangers. He is changing his tire, she is holding a flashlight. They are still talking and laughing as if old friends. He finishes up, stands up, wipes his hands on his pants. She leans over to inspect his work to see if everything is in order. They both laugh. It’s an inside joke.
Dissolve:
Standing between the two cars still laughing and talking. The night is fading to dawn. They are leaning on the hood of her car, facing the way forward. They exchange information promising to stay in touch.
Fade To Black
Meanwhile At The Ranch
For whatever reason we love finding the differences instead of similarities. It is those similarities that make us human, our experiences define us, yet we can learn from the experiences of others if we allow ourselves to be open. Open is a difficult concept for achievers. We set goals, make plans, and take action. It is our expectations of ourselves that drives us forward.
What happens when we realize that our expectations change? All the confidence in the world can not stop us from attacking us. It seems like an oxymoron, but many of the most confident people are just good at swallowing their anxiousness. We know the show must go on, so we suck it up. We have goals to crush. Meetings to plan. Calls to make. After all we think, history doesn’t make itself.
Heroes At a Crossroads,
Her story was liberating. I was so caught up in my own thoughts, I’d forgotten other people encounter their own obstacles. We are the heroes of our stories, a mindset of many successful people, myself included. I was done with my pity party. When you are the hero of your story, you are the one that can mobilize to take action.
Heroes take action to achieve their goals despite the odds. Being in a hero mindset will help you through tough situations.
It’s okay to be a hero, especially if it’s your story.
We think all is lost. Except it is not lost, we just need time to breathe, think on how far we have come. Then we decide where we want to go from here. Writing these words I realize the spark of inspiration and excitement comes from having a shared experience. Even heroes need a chance to catch their breath. Medium is just the place for strangers to share their stories.
Of all the digital writing platforms in the world, she had to come onto Medium. It seems that great minds and all that might have some truth to it after all. I love Medium for so many more reasons, one being…
The 52 week writing challenge that I wrote this piece to make sure I was publishing something. It may not be the most polished, but I am definitely learning the discipline of sitting down to write. We are helping each other get better, not tear one another down. That is a Medium quality that I love more than anything. So will you.
By Jonas Hughes
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