Some of you who are fans of classic rock are familiar with the band The Doors. A few of you may be aware that its lead singer, Jim Morrison, also published poetry. In one such poem, he wrote: “The sniper's rifle is an extension of his eye. He kills with injurious vision.” This is deep and can be interpreted in many ways, but I tend to think of the inability for the actor to remove him or herself from the culpability of action. The tool (or weapon in this case) does not operate without a human in control. The individual makes judgement calls, good or bad. Society holds the individual accountable for bad decisions.
Just like in the physical world, we are responsible for our actions in the cyber world. Even though one might feel anonymity on the keyboard, one is not absolved from the content of his or her texting, tweeting, postings, etc. When we go on the Internet, we find that sometimes online content is rough. It is amazing to witness the heartlessness and cruelty of people when reading what they post online about others. Sometimes this horrible content includes cyber bullying, and cyber bullying can sometimes get so bad that the victim resorts to self-harm.
Take great care with what you post or publish online. What comes from your keystrokes is not without effects. The keyboard is an extension of what is in your heart. Show love – lift others up, neither tear them down in the physical nor the virtual world.
A Scout is Kind.