How To Avoid Offending People With Your Blog

If you don't want to offend people, then don't have a blog! I have been Blogging since 2006. I love to blog. (I am not so keen on offending people, but it happens!) I have had spurts of time on Facebook, but that is the only other form of social media that I have used. (Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., are all too zippy for me.) I much prefer the platform of blogging. For me, and my personality, it works best.

There was a time when more people were involved in blogging on a regular basis -- I enjoyed that time, I miss it! I loved keeping up with people via their window into their world through a blog. Now people seem more inclined to use a line or two to express their thoughts, opinions, and breakfast menus, on other fast-paced social media outlets. I feel like the world of Facebook and Twitter is quick and easy, but it is also vague and empty. These outlets work splendid for some people, but I suppose I am much too long-winded for making my point in just a few short words. The real problem is, I have a lot to say, and a few lines will never do for me. I have a lot of blah, blah, blahing to do.

So why do I blog? What is the point? (I have been blogging pretty religiously for about 9 years! You can go HERE for posts back to 2006.) 

Well, besides keeping a record of my life, and the life of my family, it is also a place for me to figure out and make sense of my feelings. My brain is constantly spinning, and my blog is like a close friend to me -- someone I spill all the beans to. I do have to edit the "spilled beans" as to not be too personal, but I still expose a lot of myself in my writing. I have come to discover that this can be good, and bad. My blog has been the cause of contention for some, but it has also been a source of healing and happiness for me. In my mind, the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to blogging (I cannot say the same for Facebook). I have no idea how my blog makes you feel, maybe good, maybe bad, maybe somewhere in between? Unfortunately, I can't really control the feelings of others. (Though that would be a handy skill to have!) My hope is that it is at least mostly good for you here.

The way that my brain works requires me to write things down to work things out. Before blogging, I was a diligent journal writer. I have hundreds of pages of my deepest thoughts and feelings from over the years. I wrote in my journal for the same reason I write on my blog -- it is a release. It is also wonderful to be able to look over my old journals and posts, and learn from my mistakes, and sometimes I even learn from my successes. My children also love to sit in front of the computer and scroll through the history of their lives, and the silliness of their mother. (I love to catch them looking through my blog, it makes it worth it!)

However, the thing about blogging is that other people can observe your feeling-releasing, and your life views, and that can get tricky, and you risk offending. (I used to have my blog private, but felt inclined to make it public.) I know that over the many years of writing posts, I have most certainly offended, rustled feathers, caused people to cringe, and shake their head in disagreement. (Even over small things.) I know that you can look at my writing, and my world, and think I am so full of nonsense that you can hardly stand it. (I am good at being nonsensical!) I know that my blog might be a source of heartache or scoffing, if you disapprove of my personal views and attitudes on life. I am 100% sure you roll your eyes when I state an opinion that is in direct opposition with your own...

And that is OK!

We are all so very different -- with opinions as vast as the world is wide. It is OK to disagree with others. It is more than OK to disagree with me -- that is your prerogative! I do not write for the approval of the masses, I write for me. (I do not receive monetary gain from writing.) This is my world. When I write my thoughts and feelings, I have my "Mari Blinders" on. I write only what I understand and view in the moment of writing -- I do not know how it causes others to feel. I am writing my side of the story. I don't know, or understand, your side of the story -- that is for you to write! I would hope that what I share on my blog is helpful and hopeful, but that is certainly not always the case. I am not oblivious to the fact that blogs can leave you feeling stirred-up, for good or bad. I know it is true, because I feel the same when I read the blogs and opinions of people that write something I disagree with -- I can walk away from a blog feeling disgruntled and dissatisfied -- not uplifted.

But we are all in such different places in life. We are poor, we are rich, we are healthy, we are hefty, we are happy, we are sad -- but we have so much to learn from each other. And for that reason, I think blogs are a tremendous blessing! As we rub shoulders together in actual person-to-person contact, or when we rub virtual shoulders together in the blogosphere -- it can be for our good. As we look in and view the thoughts and feelings of others that we have an interest in, we learn, and we grow. You do not have to agree with someone to learn good things from them. We are here to learn how to love each other, despite our differences. But I do believe, if you look close enough -- you may find that people are not so different from each other after all.

I hope that those of you who read my blog learn something of value from my thoughts and feelings -- even if they differ from your own. My intent is never to offend, but sometimes my intent is to educate from my very personal perspective, and sometimes I write to unleash the beast of feelings from within. I would sincerely ask that if reading my blog is not a source of inspiration, enlightenment, or entertainment for you -- then please, don't waste your time reading it. It will not do you any good to look at my blog, and feel discouraged by following it. If you walk away after reading my blog posts feeling defeated and depressed, then please, please, this is not the place for you! Go find a better happy place that causes you joy. Or, better yet, create your own blog, it is very satisfying!

If, however, you are interested in my thoughts and feelings (even if you disagree), or if you are just interested in checking in on my family, and reading my Mari musings -- then you are more than welcome here in my piece of the blog world! I am open to your thoughts, and I am open to learning from you, even if we do not see eye-to-eye. I love learning, and I love learning from the insight of others. We all have such a different perspective on the world, and we all have so much we can gain from sharing our views and experiences.

We can agree to disagree, and still get along. Right?

I sure think so!