Re: should i always respond to emails?
I just read skuka's post, and it's a question I've sometimes pondered myself, especially as a somewhat ""new"" blogger.
Usually an unresponded to email is not something where I believe someone's done a social faux pas, or has been annoying (to me) and I've decided I don't want to talk to them.
It's much more often that I'm not always quite sure how to continue a back-and-forth. Sometimes, I believe an interaction is fine stopping at just one or two replies, really. No harm and no foul about it.
Admittedly, I fear I'm sometimes quite self-focused in my emails anyway, so I hope to avoid being too obnoxious. But that could be an unfounded fear. Or maybe very founded, therefore very considerate of me. This whole blurb is probably evidence against myself.
But I can only hope that the people who frequent Bear know that I certainly hold no ill-will if I send an email, and it isn't replied to, or if you send me an email, and I don't respond.
I find this possibility of fizzled out correspondence as a 1 or 0 reality.
It can be true or it can be false.
C'est la vie.
However, when it comes to rude people? People who belittle you, or neg you...? Well, that's up to your personal preference how you choose to respond, if it all. But absolutely there's no requirement to give attention to somebody who doesn't act right. My personal motto has been to always protect your own peace!
Don't respond to something if it's upsetting you past the point of reason. Don't lose sleep over how other people choose to conduct themselves, because all you can control is how you choose to respond. Or not respond.
But that's all personal choice, and it's up to you to decide how your time and energy is spent. I percieve these as very valuable resources though, so it's important not to waste them imo!
I'm not really sure if I'd bother answering an email that was intended to be mean or annoying. But I rarely think people who aren't at least kind, deserve very much kindness in return.
I can only hope this is a pure hypothetical though, and that nobody's gone out of their way to be intentionally upsetting. Now, or in the past. Hopefully not in the future!
It's always important to remember to be mindful with others, and that we're all people at the end of the day. We all make our own choices when it comes to how we blog, and how we choose to interact via email, comments, and guestbook notes.
Always remember the people behind the screens.
Stay safe and stay kind out there Bear homies!