Thoughts on Life - one every Friday.

Why we should NOT block or Unfriend people?

Blocking and unfriending people on social media has become an almost automatic response when faced with opposing views or offensive comments. It seems like the easiest way to avoid discomfort, but in the long run, this practice can create an echo chamber.

An echo chamber is an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own. When you unfriend or block people with differing views, you might be unintentionally isolating yourself in a bubble of like-minded individuals. This can lead to a distorted understanding of the world, where only your views and beliefs are validated, making it difficult to empathize with or even understand different perspectives.

Why is this a problem? When you surround yourself with only those who agree with you, your views become more extreme and less grounded in reality. This lack of exposure to diverse opinions can stifle personal growth, as it prevents you from challenging your beliefs and learning from others. Over time, this can lead to a rigid mindset, where you become more fixated on your own thoughts and less open to change.

The 2016 U.S. elections provide a powerful example. Like many, I was a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton and found it difficult to understand why anyone would support Donald Trump. However, I chose not to unfriend or block those who had different opinions. I wanted to understand their reasoning, even if I initially disagreed with them. Over time, by engaging with these different viewpoints, my own perspective began to shift. While I still recognize Trump’s flaws, I’ve come to appreciate that not everything he did was wrong, and that the Democratic Party has also made significant mistakes in recent years.

This experience taught me the value of keeping an open mind. Blocking or unfriending people with opposing views may shield you from discomfort, but it also limits your growth. By staying connected to those with different opinions, you allow yourself to be exposed to new ideas and perspectives, which can challenge and refine your own beliefs.

Now, I choose not to block people anymore, unless they are spamming or being overtly vulgar (or being *truly* offensive.) Instead, I seek to engage with different viewpoints, ask questions, and learn from others. I actively visit sites with conflicting opinions, like Reddit, X, and news outlets like Fox and CNN, to ensure I’m not trapped in an echo chamber.

In the end, our growth depends on our willingness to challenge our own beliefs. If we can improve by just 1% each day, the cumulative effect can make us 37 times better over a year. Why hinder that growth by blocking those who can offer us the most valuable lessons?

Why write?

Writing is like having a conversation with your past, present, and future self all at once. Think of it as a way to capture your thoughts in a little time capsule, ready to be opened by the ‘you’ of tomorrow, next year, or even a decade from now. It’s a bit like that rubber duck trick programmers use—where they explain their code to a rubber duck to find any bugs. By putting your thoughts into words, you’re basically holding them up to the light, turning them around, and seeing if they hold up. It’s a chance to catch the little flaws or gaps that might not be obvious at first.

But here’s the thing—our thoughts aren’t static. They change, they grow, they evolve just like we do. So why not give yourself the chance to look back in ten years and have a chat with your younger self? Sure, some of those old thoughts might make you cringe, but they’ll also show you just how far you’ve come. Plus, you might stumble upon a gem of an idea that’s still useful.

Now, about the whole social media thing—posting your thoughts there can be like shouting into a crowded room. It’s easy to attract attention you didn’t ask for, and not always the good kind. Even the best ideas have their critics, so why invite that drama if you don’t have to? Writing in a blog feels a bit more like talking to a small group of friends who really get you. And why not just keep a diary, you ask? Well, what’s the fun in keeping all your thoughts to yourself? Sharing them, even in a quiet corner of the internet, makes it a bit more of an adventure.

So here I am, finally ready to put myself out there through my thoughts. I’m committing to writing at least one post every Friday—whether it’s about life, politics, science, or business. Even if no one reads these musings, the idea of sending them out into the void, like a message in a bottle drifting through the vast ocean, feels thrilling. It’s not just about being heard; it’s about the adventure of sharing, even if it’s just with the universe.