You’re scrolling.
Someone posts something awful.
Offensive. Ignorant. Cruel.
You feel your chest tighten.
Your jaw clench.
Your fingers itch to type a response, sharp, perfect, undeniable.
But wait.
Breathe.
Because this is not just a post.
This is your practice.
Applied Zen teaches us to notice the moment we leave ourselves.
And nothing pulls us out faster than online conflict.
We go from quiet presence to digital warzone in two seconds flat.
And sometimes, yes, it matters.
Sometimes silence isn’t an option.
Sometimes truth demands a voice.
But how you speak your truth, that is the path.
Zen doesn’t mean being passive.
It means being aware.
Before you reply, ask:
Who am I speaking to, their spirit, or their ego?
Who am I speaking from, my truth, or my reactivity?
Am I trying to connect, or just win?
You can disagree without dehumanizing.
You can hold your boundary without burning the bridge.
You can say no with full clarity, and full compassion.
Compassion doesn’t mean excusing harm.
It means not becoming what harmed you.
Online conflict often feels urgent.
But urgency is rarely presence.
Breathe first.
Speak second.
Or don’t speak at all, and know that silence, too, can be sacred.
Sometimes the most Zen response is a boundary.
Sometimes it’s a block.
Sometimes it’s a whisper instead of a roar.
But always, it’s rooted in awareness.
You don’t owe anyone your energy.
You don’t have to correct every wrong.
You don’t need to attend every argument you’re invited to.
But when you do speak, speak from your ground.
Not from fear.
Not from anger.
From truth, and breath, and stillness.
That’s how we turn conflict into practice.
That’s how we stay human in digital spaces.
That’s how we change the temperature of the room, even online.
One breath.
One reply.
One choice at a time.
Enlightened Life Fellowship 