I have tried off and on, over the last year or so, to moderate the tone of my online discourse. While I learned very early in my teaching career that sarcasm is dangerous in the classroom, my inner snark was regularly on display on Twitter and Facebook.

Then I started to notice that a steady diet of snark — including reading and re-posting — didn’t feel right. The UU first principle (respecting the dignity of others) is a huge challenge for me. Karen Armstrong’s Ware lecture about compassion at General Assembly sealed the deal, and the real effort began.

I’ve noticed an interesting consequence this week, in the way I read and respond to Twitter. The temptation to post a short sarcastic comment on a RT has been constant and overwhelming. Possibly this desire is fed by the pursuit of Twitterverse celebrity, which is measured not just by the number of followers but also the frequency of retweets. Snark gets noticed.

So far, I have taken a mindfulness approach. I read a Tweet, and my sarcastic response pops until my head. Before, I would have posted it without hesitation. Now I wait and observe it, considering its purpose and possible effects. It’s a start.