By: Yusuf Dirir
Somalilandsun – There are great differences between writing a good argument and poor slanderous one – When you write an insulting comment or article you don’t only slur the person/persons you are writing about, but you also insult the intelligence of your readers and waste their time. You affront yourself, because you expose your ignorance and viciousness to the wider world.
By taking inconsiderately on someone you might still get few like-minded admirers on the way, but the majority of the public will find you empty minded and will covertly treat you as nobody. That is really an ignominy; one can spend his time writing about valuable things rather than wasting his/her readers’ precious times and must not sacrifice his time and dignity for nothing in return.
Writing a good comment or article in a very simple language and building your argument painstakingly brick by brick is pleasing to readers, convinces them to your ideas and makes them admire your talent. Furthermore, your opinions will be respected and your artful writings will survive for many generations to come. In writing a useful comment or article you do not only contribute to the good of the society, but you also add to your good deeds and help yourself not going to hell-fire for a needless and ineffectual deed. Writing under anonymous name will not be baffling to your creator and prevent him rewarding you with what you deserve, be it good or bad.
Please do not get me wrong, I am not against the rightful criticism of private, public, local or international figures and I do not consider a well founded criticism as an offend. These can unquestionably be beneficial to the wider society. At the same time, one has to be careful not be carried away and most importantly not forget to respect the feelings of his subject as he would like his feelings to be prized – One must put himself/herself on the boots of his/her subject and those close to him/her.
One must honestly have a hard look at his/herself on the mirror asking himself/herself if in truth others deserve his/her criticism and if his/her criticism is measured, polite and righteous. And most of all, one needs to ask if his/her criticism will contribute to the best interest of the wider society, if not that becomes a “cretinism” and not a “criticism”.
In nutshell, our writing is a measure of our intelligence. Before we embark on sharing our opinions in public, we all need to checkout if the basic rule of making a good argument is respected. In primary school, we were told that we will make a good debating sense, if we respect our PEEL rule (p=making a point, E=explaining it, E= giving example and L=linking ideas). That might sound very distant in our minds and too simplistic, but if we look back at the opinions on our websites you will find them lacking this basic rule, it is a shame, is it not?
Yusuf Dirir Ali
