Everybody has an opinion.

This is a good thing. If we all agreed on all subjects, the world would be incredibly dull.

I share a lot of content on Twitter. Some of it is serious, some of it is funny, and some of it is good, old-fashioned weird. And while I’m not out to cause offense, I don’t shy away from sensitive issues, such as politics, religion and sex.

I don’t use Twitter for one-way broadcasting – I welcome and encourage your responses. I absolutely love it when somebody fires something back that actually makes me think about what I’ve just shared or said, and look at it from a completely different angle. Who doesn’t enjoy that?

Well, the unfortunate truth is… lots of people. Some folks evidently have a hard time with being exposed to a perspective or philosophy that differs from their own. In far too many of these cases, their immediate reaction is hostility. After which, my immediate reaction is to reach for the button marked ‘block’.

There’s a preferred way to share your opinion, and that’s politely. If I’ve been rude or obnoxious, then sure, go ahead and treat me the exact same way.

But if I’ve been good-natured and behaved in the manner to which you have become accustomed, then please respond in kind. And if you’re not familiar with the way I write or think, then take a moment to check out my timeline before leaping to assumptions.

After all, I might have been sharing a joke. Or I might have been deadly serious. But you’ll never know unless you do a little digging. And while I absolutely, positively don’t expect you to always agree with me, it would be nice if we could both agree to be civil.