Thursday
4/24/2005 11:38:00 AM
Phil Tomson wrote:
> Given a troll's visit to the newsgroup (word on the street is that it's
> happened recently:), there are two opinions on dealing with said troll:
>
> 1) Ignore the troll (I tend to come down on this side)
>
> 2) Answer the troll so as to demolish his arguments.
>
> It's intersting that this debate goes back some 3000 years. Substitute
> 'fool' for 'troll' and you find this in the book of Proverbs (a Hebrew
> book of Wisdom):
>
> "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you be like him"
> (26:4)
>
> (Or, the modern paraphrase: "Don't wrestle a pig: All you get is muddy
> and the pig has way too much fun.")
>
> However the next verse seems to indicate that the author is having an
> internal debate about the issue:
>
> "Answer a fool as his folly deserves, Lest he be wise in his own eyes"
> (26:5).
>
> A contradiction? Some would say so. I tend to look at it more as an
> internal debate - sort of like Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy.
>
> So it would seem to be an age-old connundrum. Be wise.
>
> Phil
Beautiful. That was a most enjoyable post.
I say, forgive the troll, for it knows not what it does. And love the
troll as you love yourself.
If we ask sincerely ask ourselves *WHY* the troll causes so much anger,
we will know ourselves better--after all, we can *CHOOSE* the emotions
we feel, right? Unless we're sleepwalkers, we don't have to
automatically feel a certain way based on what others say, right?
Those that understand this will recognize that the purpose of the troll
is not simply to anger, but to educate us about ourselves. Troll
droppings (posts) are merely the stinky gift wrapping to repel the
unwise from the treasures they hide inside.
For example, somewhat dishonest people (even ones that only lie only to
themselves) will be most angered by a troll that states a blatant
falsehood--the more the troll reminds us of a flaw we'd rather forget
about ourselves, the more pissed off we tend to get.
Remember this the next time you start to get pissed off at a troll...and
discover the gift of wisdom the troll can bring disguised as an annoying
post.