Last night, I was scrolling through social media and stumbled across a guy who’d put serious time and effort into his D&D setup. He used a TV for the tabletop, playing a screen of angry sea water, with actual little islands sitting on top. To add atmosphere, he used a fog machine to blow mist across the screen, creating clouds. It looked incredible. Then he walked around to the dungeon master’s side and showed off his small stream deck, controlling the room’s ambiance. With a press of a button, he triggered a thunderstorm effect. I’ve never played D&D, but his excitement was contagious—it was clear he loved what he had created. I was happy for him! It was awesome.
One comment, two comments, three comments, four
Then, I looked at the comments. The first one said, “This guy is in so much debt for nothing.” The next few followed suit: “In debt…” over and over. Further down, some people called it a waste. There was only one comment saying, “This is absolutely awesome.”
Who decides which passion is worth debt?
I thought about it for a while. Here’s this guy, excited to share his creation, and 9 out of 10 people just trashed it. Why? Who cares if he’s in debt? The people commenting could be in debt themselves—for cars, for hobbies, for whatever. Why is one passion considered a better investment than another? Why is a jacked-up truck somehow a more ‘acceptable’ debt than a D&D game room?
Why say it at all?
What’s with this need to tear others down? Whatever happened to “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything”? It’s easier than ever to scroll past something you don’t like, yet people go out of their way to hate on things. Why waste the energy? Do these people go home at night and brag to their significant others that they insulted someone’s passion today? What’s the point? If there is one, I’d love to see it in the comments.
Why be angry?
Hating takes energy. While you’re busy being negative, you’re missing out on things that could actually bring you joy. Why spend time wallowing in anger or criticism when you could be engaging with something you love? Look at social media—it’s full of outrage over politics, celebrities, and the like. But then, when someone shares something they’re proud of, people just dump all over it. Why?
His thing’s not like my thing.
So what? Isn’t the point of life to find happiness? If your thing is to constantly tear others down, maybe it’s time to ask yourself why that brings you joy. Is it healthy? Instead of hating, go build something that makes you happy. And if someone tries to dump on your project, just ask them—what do they do for fun? And wait for the answer.
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Editor and Chief, Cavalletto Magazine
Owner And Operator of Burton Media Group
Christopher Burton is a acclaimed Photographer and has appeared in many shows, galleries, and publications over the years.