A Safe Space

27 January 2025

Several months ago, I came across a gemlog post which talked about the need for a safe space. When I tried to access it again, at a later date, the capsule was unavailable. Such is the way of Gemini, I guess.

From what I can remember, the post delved into the appropriateness of thoughts on a public place. Some things may be inappropriate. Some things may not be well thought out. The author, of the post, thought it was necessary to have a place, like a physical journal, to put one's thoughts into it -- without having to worry about what someone else may say about them.

I feel the same way. It's important for us to have a place to work out our thoughts and feelings. If we don't have a safe space, we will be less likely to question what we believe or what other people tell us. At worst, we would be unable to work out our biases, logical fallacies, or examine the nuances of a particular subject on our minds. A public forum, or even a personal blog open to the public, is the worst place to do this.

Some individuals may even double down on something they have written, to defend their right to have an opinion, and it becomes the hill they're willing to die on. While it's important to take a stand on what we believe, and be able to write about it, such stakes shouldn't be taken lightly and they deserve some reflection and introspection.

In a world where immediate feedback is requested on all social media channels, I think it's important we all take a step back, and think about what we're going to contribute. If necessary, we should have a private space to write down and explore our feelings, thoughts, and reactions. I think this would allow us to think more clearly, and perhaps offer something more valuable to the conversation.

~j

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