I Just Blocked Someone
And it was a huge relief, as always when you get rid of poison
Some forms of abuse are insidious and subtle. The perpetrators have mastered the fine art of undermining your self-confidence and offering you insults under the guise of ‘discussion’ and ‘exchange of opinions.’ But a truly healthy discussion is based on mutual respect and doesn’t come with a pang nor leaves one with a bad taste in one’s mouth.
You may not be able to recognize this person for who he is at first. They are masters of fine provocation that slowly builds up with every new exchange. This is not your usual troll, this is a master manipulator, a charming individual who will argue that it’s OK to steal or that women are making too much fuss over nothing when they talk about misogyny and abuse.
When you call him out on this, he will slowly begin to abuse you, saying how you don’t understand. You are just too stubborn to understand, in any case, there is something wrong with you for not being able to accept that the abusers are the ones who get ahead in life, and everyone else is just shooting themselves in the foot by not following suit.
They will try to persuade you to begin abusing others too, to steal and cheat, because that’s what will lead to a reward in this society of ours. He might even be so bold as to say that you will be thankful to him later on for following his horrible advice. When you tell them that’s wrong and that you’d rather die, they will let you know how ignorant and stupid you are being.
In the end, I felt as if I were talking to the Devil himself. A charming profile pic, but a dreadfully rotten personality behind it. When I went for that block button, it gave me a sense of freedom and immense relief. It was a cleansing deed, the air suddenly became purer and it was much easier to breath.
But before I finally reached that stage, I, again, fell into the the trap of trying to change others. You cannot do that. You can help them change, but you cannot change anyone who has no desire nor see the need for a change. I fell into the trap of trying to be tolerant to the intolerance of another. You cannot, it’s an oxymoron. Some things shouldn’t and cannot be tolerated.
Right speech, right action, and right livelihood represent the base for the Buddhist path as well as other pure spiritual practices that are all about setting the foundation for spiritual progress on the principles of a highly moral and ethical approach to life. It’s not the easiest path, but it’s the only one worth living. The one who follows it must detach him or herself from anything corrupted. And thus I blocked, and will block again if needed.
Mateja started to write short stories at the age of ten and later became a freelance journalist, radio personality, and explorer of the inner worlds. Her life resembles a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs and some pretty wild turns. Among other things, her car was destroyed by tanks, and she survived several brushes with death. Mateja graduated in psychology from Arizona State University and is now a writer and transformational coach. Connect with Mateja on LinkedIn or support her work on Patreon.
