Why Paywall the Best Essays?

Because not everyone's ready for the best essays

I didn’t grow up in a stereotypically religious household. While I was never a devoted atheist, there was a time I was not fully receptive (let alone convinced) of religion.

And if you’ve ever rolled your eyes at a zealous believer, picked up your steps and stared at the ground while passing a street preacher, or politely dispelled a door-to-door evangelist, then you know the exact feeling of resistance I’m talking about.

The purpose of a paywall is to control how public something is, which has to do with the receptiveness of the audience. “Do not cast pearls before swine”, is what Jesus told his disciples when they preached to a hostile crowd. “Swine” is not derogatory, rather a metaphor describing how some people are not ready to appreciate Good News. And you don’t have to believe in the Bible to understand this:

There’s a Chinese aphorism that carries the same meaning: “对牛弹琴”, meaning “playing music for an ox”, describes the futile attempt of sharing something good with someone who is simply incapable of understanding you.

In other words, it is damaging to speak to people who are committed to misunderstanding you, or people you already know are incapable of receiving you. It is wasteful to give good things to people who will not appreciate them.

Do not preach to a crowd that hates you, do not try to rescue someone that is not looking for help, do not give “tough love” to strangers who did not ask for it.

I enjoy sharing stories that are much more personal, opinionated, and enriching, and because they are so much more valuable, they ask for a confident show of willingness up front from those who are about to listen.

My best essays simply aren’t for everyone.

💌

Thank you for reading,

Sherry

OpenArt: Painting of an angry woman in the style of Guido Reni