Last week everyone was talking about whether a celebrity and/or influencer should use their platform to complain about a business. I can see both sides of the argument. If I were a business I would be concerned about the person’s obsessive fans becoming violent and harming me or my employees. If I were a celebrity and/or customer, I would not like to be treated like I was nothing more than gum underneath some salesperson shoe. However, I would have never thought to use my platform to attack someone who I think has harmed me. That is not in line with my mission in life now, to be a light in this world; to bring love and curiosity.
I will admit, I have used my blog to apologize for my bad behavior in a business and praising that busineses excellent manners in spite of my bad manners. My philosophy on how I treat businesses who harm me falls in line with Matthew 18:15-17. I ask for the manager. If the problem is not resolved then I go to the main corporation. If the problem is still not resolved, I go to the Better Business Bureau. If its still doesn’t force the business to make things right, I ceased doing business and let my family members and friends not to associate with them. I do not put them on blast on social media. Yet – do people even go to the Better Business Bureau anymore? Do people just leave Yelp comments and go about their day?
Social media has made us all nameless and faceless. However, when we drag a businesses name through the mud, we tend to forget there are real people involved. My mother always told me that if you don’t have anything nice to say, keep it to yourself. The reason why is you have to decide what battles are worth your effort. There are some hills that are not worth dying on. So stopping and asking yourself before you hit send on that post – what is your intent with this post and is any blow back on it going to disturb your peace – is a necessary step we all should start taking.
I also realize that I need to apply my Matthew 18:15-17 philosophy in my personal life. I tend to hate confrontation with people and will ask advice on how to deal with people when I know what I need to do. I just want people to tell me I don’t have to do it. It’s time I take a cue from Jesus, stop running to the committee, and take my issues first to the person who has harmed me. Because more often than not, they didn’t know they have wronged me. People are not mind readers, even though we sometimes assume they are, LOL!
Life is too short to force someone to do the right thing. You can only control yourself – your own feelings and actions. If you’ve done your best to resolve a situation without ruining your or someone else’s reputation, then you can go to sleep with a pure heart and clear conscience. Our platforms should not be weapons but bridges. There are enough people trying to tear people down out there without adding our two cents to it.
Until next time!
