Blocking Muting Type Type Type

Photo credit: Roseanne Barr and Patrick Bet David Podcast/youtube videos.

This animal....this beast called social media has given us all powers...powers that many of us grip with glee over one another.

I was on X (formerly known as Twitter) this weekend and I playfully asked someone if I disagreed with them would they block me....and their stoic answer was ¨Yes, I'll block you if you badger me¨.

Well, that kinda sums it up eh? We all kinda relish that blocking muting cancelling power don´t we?

Yes, myself included. I am often tempted to block folks who don´t believe what I believe and don´t agree with my personal views. But I am starting to wonder if that is a tad childish on my part. 

Why? Because in the real world, we can´t actually block folks we disagree with. We share the roads with people we don´t agree with.... We share church pews with folks we may not agree with on some issues. We share workplaces and restaurants with many folks who don´t feel the same as we do..

So, I guess my question today to myself is this? How far do I go with trying to control the narratives that come my way? How far do I go to sidestep folks who strongly disagree with some of my most cherished beliefs?

And just to bring it to another level.....if I profess to believe in Jesus, how much love and acceptance do I show towards those I am supposed to be blessing and praying for? Is it possible to block and mute someone on social media and then pray for them in the same heart beat? It is possible to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ if I am trying to build a virtual island where only my own words echo off the walls?

Do I really want to build an island where only I have permission to speak?

Cancelling folks and muting and blocking folks....perhaps we relish it so much because we don´t have enough control over other areas of the public sphere. Where you fall on this issue? Do you let anyone speak whatever they wish on your channels and different social media apps? Or do you clamp down and silence every voice that doesn´t sound like yours? Do share.

Peace,

Carla

Tweet

New Season

Hi Friends,

A new day.... another day of choices. We actually had snow on the ground yesterday and folks hauled out their winter coats.

It isn´t that that is all that unusual....but it was still October....yesterday.

It has been predicted that our area in Northern Ontario is going to have a drier and warmer winter than what is ¨normal¨. But we do have a lake nearby and that can skew the results.....

(it´s called lake effect snow).

Do you have certain rituals or household preps you do every year before the cold weather sets in? Do you cover some of your windows and plug up some of the drafts coming in from your doors?

So far, all that I have is a sweater that I knit many months ago....warm and snuggly, but altogether too heavy to wear in any weather other than ¨freezing¨. Oh, yes, I forgot...I also knit a hat and a few vests too. We will see if I will dare to wear those....they have a ¨different¨ look that takes some courage.

Some folks who heat their homes with woodstoves have taken care to load up their wood piles earlier this year, to be sure the wood had time to mature and dry out. Those who rely on natural gas to heat their homes are imploring our federal government to halt or slow down the carbon tax that is scheduled to impact natural gas costs.

With rising interet rates, I see that folks are simply spending and investing more conservatively....counting their coins first before splurging. It hasn´t stopped folks from travelling, but perhaps they are scouring for cheaper air fares and better package deals for accomodation. Folks still drive a lot....our roads and highways are full.

Those who are savers, who simply accumulate cash and sit on it in a savings account, are enjoying these higher interest rates. But folks who use debt to build businesses, buy real estate and other investments are scratching their heads. A technical recession is on the way into the 3rd quarter in Canada. That means a lot of Canadian investments will be ¨ön sale¨ and ripe for the picking.

Are you the type to buy when things go down in price? Do you wait until your dollars fetch more in a bear market? Or do you hunker down and wait until the bull market returns and ride the upswing?

What´s nice about the markets and real estate is that there is always something brewing, no matter what the weather is doing outside. Always a trend to watch, a category that looks interesting and someone having an opinion somewhere in the world aching for someone to listen. 

Colder weather beckons me to good books and warm steamy mugs.What´s on your reading table today?

Peace,

Carla

Tweet

Weeping Willows and Camouflaged Mushrooms...

Greetings friends.....Tis that time of year when a stroll in the autumn leaves and crisp air is essential. No worries about frost just yet....but the leaves are still giving up a great colourful show and the living things that inhabit the forests and paths are still visible....prepping the soil before the snows will fall in a month or two.

Weeping willows are one of the most recognizeable trees that adorn many residential areas in Ontario, both central and northern Ontario. Folks don´t find them depressing despite their downturned limbs and leaves, because the abundance of the foliage and the way they sway in the breezes is lovely and reassuring.

Below is another gift of the season, the discovery of mushrooms growing camouflaged among the fallen crunchy leaves. 

Well friends, there is no profound speech today, nor rants or intellectual discussions.....just the peaceful sigh of a restful sunday. We are grateful for our country, for this time of year and the beauty that God has bestowed upon us here in Northern Ontario. Enjoy your weekend friends. Drink deep of the beauty.

Peace,

Carla.

Tweet