Am I Considering Leaving Quora After Recent Events?

Of late, I've been avoiding Quora. Since the Hamas offensive against Israel on October 7, my feed has been inundated with numerous posts about the violence in Gaza. It's a topic I choose to avoid.

I'm tired of rage and judgment. I don't desire to view graphic images or read one-sided, unyielding opinions. The internet is brimming with individuals who lack empathy, convinced of their correctness in often black-and-white terms. Honestly, such perspectives don't interest me anymore.

My friend Susanna Viljanen often discusses how people with a high IQ perceive things differently from those with a lower IQ. I suspect something similar is happening with individuals who possess high or low EQ, emotional intelligence. As an empathetic person, reading others' thoughts can be almost physically painful, especially when those thoughts are often strikingly self-unaware. It makes one lose faith in humanity.

For the past four years, I've frequently posted against Islamophobia on Quora, with many Muslim followers and friends. It will come as no surprise that I don't find anti-Muslim or anti-Palestinian posts enjoyable.

However, I must echo my appreciation for the helpful comments I received last year from Israeli Quora users when I wrote about Israel. That thread was incredibly encouraging and constructive, and our Israeli users impressed me with their polite, helpful contributions. I am grateful for that.

Summarizing my stance:

I find the war upsetting and choose not to engage with it, as I do with the Ukrainian conflict. I do not support any 'side,' simply desiring for the conflict to end as soon as possible. I wish people would show more empathy and less hostility in the world.

Earlier this month, on October 8, I made a single post condemning the violence stating that this attack should not have happened and expressing sadness at what was transpiring. You may read that post if you wish, here:

I extend my good wishes to all Quora users affected by this tragedy and hope my readers are safe. Thank you to all my followers for your kind words. I remain grateful for every one of them.

At present, I have no definite plans to leave Quora. Even before October, I hadn't been posting regularly. Perhaps I figured that people might wonder where I am given how quiet I've been lately.

Thank you for reading.