I do not want to fan the flames of hatred and contempt by simply reacting.

I've been tweeting and retweeting all sorts of news items recently. The one thing these tweets all have in common??

Conflict.

And, people reacting to conflict - which includes me.

Admittedly, it is extremely challenging to thoughtfully respond, rather than knee-jerk react, to a lot of what goes on in this world.

The extreme character of some of the stuff happening these days almost cries for a loud, extreme knee-jerk reaction.

I need to remind myself that reaction may not be productive and, at times, may serve only to exacerbate the extreme and exaggerate the differences coming together at the eye of the storm.

I need to reflect and try to get my mind around what's been going on.

I do not want to fan the flames of hatred and contempt by simply reacting.

I need to respond from a mediative place - a place that reflects and respects my core values.