Social media gives every single person their own little soap box. Unfortunately it seems the people who shed light and love into the world are shoved into the background by all the desperate, angry and loud people who just seem to want to attack. Their claims, always backed by what they say is “honesty,” are often distressing and confrontational.

One of my favorite quotes is “Never assume that loud is strong and quiet is weak.” We often think that those who have the “courage” to step up and “tell it like it is” are right, true and transparent. But these people rarely have anyone’s interests in mind but their own. People during crisis move from a place of fear, anger, guilt and regret and as they stand proudly upon their soapbox, it is often just to shield others from seeing their own truth. Insecurities are the loudest and it takes a true test of courage, confidence and silence to be calm and quiet in this type of storm.

My tenacity to remain centered is tested often because I am in the public eye. There will always be those who find fault in you, your product, your views. They will bait and antagonize. They will lure you out of your peaceful place of security in hopes of proving to others that their own views of you are correct. Sometimes people are running away from their own truths so steadfastly that the only way they can’t feel it nipping at their heels is by attacking something or someone else.

Everyone has a right to practice Rule #10 in 10 Little Rules for Finding Your Truth, “Speak Your Truth.”

Yes, everyone!

But everyone else has the right to walk away and not listen.

The first two weeks of our global COVID-19 crisis, there was so much anger and hatred being sent out into the world. Facebook posts were spewing misinformation and accusing anyone and everyone. People were making fun of others and bitterly chastising those who weren’t handling the crisis exactly how THEY thought it should be handled.

We all move through times of struggle differently. We all replenish in different ways. Take a moment and think about where you are getting your information. Who are you listening to? Does their truth align with yours or are they just speaking it so loud that you can’t hear your own truth anymore?

I am so absolutely proud of my Facebook community through this pandemic. I slowly started seeing less and less of my friends on my Facebook feed. Less posts, less anger, less attacking. People were literally unplugging. Those people on the soapboxes no longer had an audience … and guess what? They stopped … or at least, many of them have.

We started to see how this very helpful and useful tool, so useful initially for keeping us connected while in isolation, was actually damaging our peace of minds.

Everyone was speaking their own variation of their own truths.

Or so they thought!

But sadly the real work that allows us to find that inner voice had not been done. You know those people …

They were jumping on those soapboxes from a place of fear and negativity.

And MANY chose to walk away.

I respect everyone’s truth, as we all should. That doesn’t mean I have to agree with, buy into it or support it … or even listen to it.

I know I can walk away when it does not align with my path.

You can too!