A friend of mine has written to me to tell me that he thinks the coffee I have been drinking of late is too bitter. He's probably right. And is often the case with rants, I've probably done the very thing I'm railing against in the past...though not intentionally. After all, we all are humans with faults and foibles. I expect many of the "hang-ups" aren't really intentional either.

But we should all try and remember to be kind to each other. And stay away from the bitter coffee.

If someone takes the time to leave you a gram or a scroll saying how much she enjoyed reading an article/post/journal entry that you wrote or event that you prepared, how difficult is it to take the time to leave that person a brief response? It need not be elaborate. "Thank you." would suffice.

If someone came up to you in the street and said, "You know I really enjoyed reading that article that you wrote..." Would you walk away and ignore them?

Probably not. So why are many "I really enjoyed your [insert name of article/post/journal entry/event here]..." messages around this site ignored?

Perhaps it is a cultural thing? In the part of the country where I was brought up, simple courtesies like that are a given. If someone gives you a gift or a compliment, you always say thank you. Maybe it is not like that in other places.

I feel foolish and stupid afterwards when I leave someone a message like that and he or she doesn't respond. Why didn't he or she? Too busy to bother? Did that person think I wasn't being sincere? I'm not worthy of noticing?

It makes me far less likely to want to do something like that in the future. And I think that's sad. Aren't we supposed to be a community? If you find yourself indifferent or too busy to offer a reply to someone, you might have missed out on making contact with a person who shares similar interests to you. Maybe that person would have helped you revive a dead group or discussion of yours.

Or maybe not. Perhaps some people just don't want contact with others.