I was gonna refrain from posting this after writing it the other day, but changed my mind.

People of higher-than-average intelligence may be tempted to feel and display contempt for others. It is easy to understand how this can come about.

But it's wrong on every level. It's morally wrong, and from a purely pragmatic standoint it's ineffective. Jesus teaches his followers to love our neighbor as ourself. And that is everyone, not just the house next door.

Some highly intelligent persons learn to introspect: to consider one's own thoughts and actions as if seen through others' eyes. And contempt for others is ugly as sin. In fact it IS sin. It leaves a karmic stain upon both the giver and the receiver. And that stain has repercussions going forward.

Building trust requires sustained principled behavior over a long time. One instant of hating others demolishes trust. It wrecks one's "trust credit rating".

We humans all need one another. One person alone is limited in what they can accomplish. But as a society we can accomplish much. So individuals often choose to collaborate in teams.

What is respect for the individual? We all want to be respected by others. Respect fosters teamwork and collaboration. And what is "Social Media" if not "social"? Social media is not an excuse to abandon all pretense of mature social skills. If anything, seeing poor behavior in social media should inspire greater efforts at collaboration, not fewer.

The temptation to despise others haunted me during decades in business.

It took time and effort to mature into a leadership role directing high-functioning teams. So I know. Encouraging others and leading by a positive example work.

Fault-finding does not work. If participation is voluntary, collaborators will leave, and not forget being treated badly. If participation is mandatory (a job), they will find ways to undermine the work of the team.

One cannot build a team of individuals who voluntarily give of their time, energy, and creativity by berating those one hopes to influence and collaborate with. At the heart of effective teamwork is mutual respect, and, yes, love. Jesus knew a thing or two about it.

- a Fren

P.S. So next time you sign /\ think about who's watching.