The breaking point....

I have been blogging for almost a year now. While this pales in comparison to other true blue bloggers who have been in the blogosphere for years, sometimes, it just feels as if I have been blogging for a longest time.

I've met a number of people through my blog, some of them online, some of them in person. I got in touch with old friends and old acquaintances. I helped a few people get started with blogging, and sat in the sidelines while new blogs are born, and old blogs die out. Some bloggers quit for some reason or another. Some just lose interest, or are just too busy. There are some poseurs who hop on the blogging bandwagon just because its "in," yet give up after realizing that a true blog requires a bit of an emotional investment to make your blog unique and a reflection of your personality. And there are those who put their heart and soul into it, posting symphonies of words and ideas that have you craving for more. So you visit them again. And again. And again. Until his or her blog becomes a part of you as well.

There are a lot of things that I've seen in my eleven months of blogging. I even saw the dark side of blogging. The trash talk, the anonymous nasty comments, the factionalism, the arguments, the ruses, the pretensions, the intolerance of the opinions of others, the expletives, the swear words, the lies, etc. What can I say? The blogosphere is a reflection of the real world, and just like the real world, you have to learn to take the bad with the good. And there is a lot of both to go around.

I have been a witness to all sorts of intrigues and accusations. I have never really been involved in one myself, but that is a conscious decision on my part. Here, the golden rule is as applicable as it is anywhere else. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

I try to blog responsibly, and try to treat everyone who visits my blog with courtesy and respect. I have even joined an online movement which believes in the same thing, and I have affixed this movement's logo proudly on my blog because I want my visitors to feel welcome whenever they visit my humble home here.

The last couple of months, I've have observed an issue slowly creep up from nowhere, slowly building up momentum, fueled by countless posts, tags, email, chat and phone conversations. Now it seems to have reached the breaking point. I'm talking about the issue tackled by Darlene's post here, the follow-up post here, Ka Uro's post here, Ethel's post here, the damning piece of evidence here, and the other related posts from different blogs in the Filipino community. A lot of other fellow bloggers have fallen victim to this issue, and it is saddening, disheartening, and deplorable.

I have not made this post to condemn nor to choose sides. Only to inform, to warn, and perhaps share a point or two. I have, despite my silence, been abreast with the developments surrounding the issue for a number of months now. In my humble opinion, I believe that there are just some bloggers who have no qualms about resorting to scheming and deception just for the hell of it. There are also those who insist on saying the wrong things the wrong way for the wrong reasons to other bloggers who don't deserve such treatment. Truth be told, we can do without their kind here in the blogosphere.

The keyword is respect. It works in the real world, and it works in here as well. And deception is the ultimate form of disrespect. Not only are you lied to, you're being taken for a fool. We are all mature adults here, and we must be accountable and responsible for our actions.

I do not choose sides. Choosing sides is for kids. But I do choose to make a stand. I am for responsible blogging, respect, and the truth. And you can take that to the bank.

Learn the facts for yourselves, draw your own conclusions, and make your own stand. That is the only thing one can truly hope for in this crazy world of ours.

"Men are respectable only as they respect."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Postscript:

Any rude comments will be summarily deleted. So don't even bother.