Outside my window are lots of lovely autumn leaves. Many of them are red, or red-adjacent. They are a delight.

Also in my range of vision are online comments. They may be in response to articles, opinions, other comments, or even images. Some of them are angry, or critical, or negative, or rude, and they seem to be from people who are “seeing red.” They may not realize they are expressing hatred, but that is often how their comments are received.

It has been eye-opening and disappointing to realize how many people so readily express hatred online when they would rarely ever do so in person. In fact, they would probably react with dismay if I told them they were haters.

There have been many times that I have been tempted to write something vitriolic in response to an online newspaper article or social media post, but I have usually managed to restrain myself, often by using muted word choices. Even so, when I wrote my responses I have sometimes been guilty of hasty judgement and a lack of consideration for the subject of the discussion. In spite of my efforts, I may have come across as a hater.

If I could wave a magic wand, I would wish that we would all write our online comments in the same way that we would respond in person to our neighbours. We don’t have to like our neighbours, or even approve of their lifestyles. We just have to be accommodating in general and polite in public.

There is a lot to be said for good manners and social propriety. They keep hatred on a tight leash.