Comment on Ry's Life Rules by Ry-Spirit
I try to think that way too. That's why even if I'm alone behind my computer screen and the biggest chance to troll is available, I won't. It's immature and disrespectful and the problem with a lot of this internet trolling is people don't see how this can truly affect people. A lot of younger users usually don't know how to handle it even if everyone says, "Just ignore it."
One of my rules is to be respectful. When I meet new people online, even the not-so-positive people, I do my best to respect their opinions. I may not reply to their comments, but that's just me bowing out gracefully because it's not worth either of our time to argue over something I'm confident will never alter my belief, so why waste our time? I think this ties in the Golden Rule.
Unfortunately, I had to learn rule 6 a bit of the hard way. It didn't get too bad, but I remember one person in particular where it seemed like this negative energy just oozed through my computer screen. The person was always so negative, a little perverted O_o, and dishonest. I know it's the internet, but seriously? Use this opportunity to be honest. I didn't like the idea of rule 6 at first because it felt like I was rejecting somebody, and I know how bad it feels to be rejected. However, over time I heard a good analogy somewhere about being given a venomous snake that's just going to hurt you if you hold onto it. That's my justification for letting go. I wanted to help the person and be a good friend, but if he/she doesn't want help, you're just wasting your time kidding yourself. Life is too short.