Joel M Bradshaw

27Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.–Proverbs 26

In the ancient world, pits were dug to trap. It was passive warfare, yet aggressive. A village might trap a dangerous wild animal or an army enemy soldiers. It also could be used for passively hunting animals for food. Regardless, a pit is never dug for the good of the one who would end up in it!

And yet, what pits do you dig? Is the point of your interactions with others simply to trap them? What kind of a friend seeks to score ‘points’ with every interaction? Or maybe you are the person that gets the stone rolling with gossip. If your presence in a relationship ends up with others quarreling, you are wrong. If you find yourself always enhancing or providing unnecessary drama in a friendship, stop manipulating people who genuinely care about your feelings.

You see, I used to be a social media pit digger. And I regret doing so. I used to post things and argue things and try to score rhetorical points. Posting about politics was my playground and eventually I found that few wanted to play with me. Social media is not the place for such things. Engaging in social media tribalism may seem satisfying in the short term, but not in the long. 2020 illustrated that for so many. For when you finally have something great or uplifting to say, how many have already de-friended or simply unfollowed you?

The proverb speaks of your attitude and if it will pay off in the end. One who seeks to trap others will eventually metaphorically fall into the trap or be crushed by the large stone he just had to start rolling. Enough already. Life is short. Be a peacemaker, not a pit digger. Love your neighbor and stop rolling stones.—JMB