upon being requested to post and told of what was happening here... i thought of some stories and parables that i'd read that could shed light on how to rectify the situtation. by rectify, i mean "change" for the positive.

being that perspectives to the contrary of whatever we define as "positive" on a messageboard or in life, will exist independently of us, the best thing to do is "control self". cool thing is, this usually winds up actually influencing others... ESPECIALLY if you're confident in your actions in the first place.

a suggestion for those asking for a higher caliber of discussion and respect is to simply NOT PAY ATTENTION TO and involve oneself in the exchange of an energy you SEE and KNOW is gonna generate negativity (however you define that). if you can see the Taoist principle in the above tale, i'd also suggest capitalizing on the momentum of such an energy when you witness and try to 1)redirect it to somewhere else 2)change it to something else 3)accept it and observe it. this could be done by: a request to the poster or person to take that energy elsewhere (you'd be surprised how people respond to direct queries to "STOP IT!"...some of you may remember that Cosby show episode where Rudy told all the bad people to "Stop it!), use of the Socratic method to dissipate a person's energy, and use of patience respectively.

there are plenty of ways of neutralizing another person's energy, but it all starts with an "air of calm assurance" which ultimately begins with yourself. everything that bothers you is generated from within. the way you perceive and interact with something will determine how you feel about it and engage it.

a sign i read on a church bulletin board: "That which angers you, controls you." If we allow ourselves time to find that "stillness" within, then it'll be all that easier to confidently deal with the external. my suggestion is to carefully pick exactly what deserves your attention and time and energy. there is ABSOLUTELY no reason to ever get upset or bothered. after all, one reson for such emotions is a lack of accurate perception and awareness, cuz i'm finding that the more you learn and understand things that are TOTALLY opposite you, the greater your ability is to deal with it from your center and still maintain balance.

Red, Black, Green