Summary

Robert Ralph, a Medium publication owner, recounts his emotional journey following an unprovoked attack on him and his publication by another Medium member, leading to a mix of despair, support, and eventual forgiveness.

Abstract

Robert Ralph, after facing a harsh and unprovoked critique on Medium, shares his personal story of the impact it had on him. Initially devastated and contemplating leaving Medium, his interaction with his daughters reminded him of the innocence in the world, contrasting the malice he experienced. Overwhelmed by an outpouring of support from the Medium community, he decided against closing his publication. Despite the attacker's lack of direct communication and subsequent blocking, Robert expresses forgiveness and well-wishes for the individual, emphasizing the importance of moving forward with both his Medium and private life.

Opinions

Robert Ralph was deeply affected by the negative article written about him, considering it an attack not just on his work but on his character.
The support from the Medium community played a crucial role in his decision to stay and continue his work on the platform.
He believes that the attacker's actions may have been driven by motives such as clickbait, jealousy, or inherent nature, but he wishes her inner peace and no ill will.
Robert acknowledges his own imperfections but asserts that his intentions on Medium are genuine and honorable.
He expresses gratitude to his followers and the broader Medium community for their encouragement and support during a difficult time.
Despite the lack of a direct apology, Robert extends forgiveness to the attacker and accepts an apology that was never given, demonstrating his commitment to maintaining a positive and supportive environment on Medium.

You Left Me Speechless

Thank You

I thought it would be nice to show my face (no ugly jokes please, I'm a bit raw at the moment!)

This is just a short article to put the line in the sand after a whirlwind of 24 hours on Medium.

If you are reading this, you probably know that I have been a tender soul since the infamous article written about me around 24 hours ago.

I was horrified after a Medium member attacked me and my publication. This was unprovoked. It devastated me, and after reading her hurtful comments, I just wanted to end things.

I am not ready to go into too much of my history at this stage. However, I think the article would have affected any average person.

Having never seen or spoken to the culprit in the past, I still do not understand why she did this to me, and I am now lead to believe this is not the first time she has attacked someone, and a few publications have banned her.

Once I had finished reading what she had written, I turned off my computer, it was a Thursday (my day off work), and I walked over to my two daughters, aged three and one.

Of course, I picked up and gave the biggest cuddles, my three year old asked me to play with her toys, and my one year old told me she loved me (in her language).

I took a deep breath, sat on the floor and did not move for around thirty minutes, just taking in their fun and laughter. It was so lovely to hear after the vile comments I had read.

I thought to myself, I am witnessing innocence from my daughters and just read pure evil from an adult, that kind of sums up the world we live in today.

Children are not evil; adults teach them wrong lessons.

I went back to my computer and wrote an article out of pure frustration, and posted it without a second thought. Maybe I should have waited 24 hours first to calm down.

I went to work the following morning, feeling rejected and out of sorts, which is not great for the position I hold. However, my job is about confidence and swagger; I usually have enough confidence and energy for 100 people.

Today I felt drained and lethargic.

On the way home from work, I decided to close my publication and remove myself from Medium. So I turned on my computer and logged on. Wow!

I read comment after comment, email after email, I received just over 150 messages about what had happened, and I responded to every single one of them.

Overwhelmed and gobsmacked by the love, support and kick up the arse I needed. I must have gone through two packs of tissues, the tears rolled down my face, and some of the comments even made me laugh.

I also received some very direct feedback, which I also appreciated, I did not think people would comment, and I thought most comments would have been negative.

Some of the ladies (if I can call her that) followers emailed me with supportive comments and told me they no longer follow her after what she wrote.

I have to accept that I will never know the reason why this attack took place. I wish she had reached out to me directly. I am not perfect; I understand that, but my actions are genuine and honourable.

I did message her directly. However, as you can see in the picture below, I have removed her name because I do not want her attacked or called names.

I can tell you her response to this was to change around 70% of her original article to make it sound different from the original version. Then about thirty minutes later, I was blocked.

I feel very sorry for her; I can only assume the article was either "clickbait",, jealousy or just the person's nature. However, I hope she finds inner peace; the rage that she possessed cannot be nice to have tucked up inside you.

If by any chance the lady concerned is reading this article, then can I say:

Thank you for teaching me a lesson.
I now hold no grudges for you.
I hope you learn from the experience and can find inner peace with yourself.
I hope you do not suffer any backlash.
I accept the apology that you never gave me.
I wish you future success and wish you well in life.

For me to move on, I have to be able to forgive, and I can now draw a line in the sand and move forward with my Medium and private life.

You have all been incredibly supportive, and maybe I am not worthy of that. Still, I will take it all the same. The world is a much better place when I have followers like you.

THANK YOU

Written by Robert Ralph

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