“What is the quality of your intent?

Certain people have a way of saying things that shake us at the core. Even when the words do not seem harsh or offensive, the impact is shattering. What we could be experiencing is the intent behind the words. When we intend to do good, we do. When we intend to do harm, it happens. What each of us must come to realize is that our intent always comes through. We cannot sugarcoat the feelings in our heart of hearts. The emotion is the energy that motivates. We cannot ignore what we really want to create. We should be honest and do it the way we feel it. What we owe to ourselves and everyone around is to examine the reasons of our true intent.

My intent will be evident in the results.”
Thurgood Marshall

For the last three months more and more people are leaving DeviantART.com for what seems to be one reason; the lack of community and respect.
For one, lets face it...art thieves are popping up out of the wood work now more than ever, and the lack of compassion for those who are victims to this horrible 'crime' is anything but appropriate.
Journals written to tell how a person feels about this being done to them are claimed to be doing nothing but calling out for drama and attention, when in reality they simply letting people know how miserable they feel to know that some person is taking something dear to them and exploiting it for their own purposes.
I personally believe that people need to stop looking at the situation from the wrong end of the stick, and start realizing how they would feel if something was stolen from them. Maybe then they could sit back and think before the post a foolish and insensitive comment on someone's journal about how much of a DA 'drama-whore' they are for crying and whining about someone 'stole their precious art'.
The lack of compassion for our fellow artists NEEDS to stop. Misery can never be healed or helped through making it worse with pointing fingers and calling names. Just as stealing cannot be remedied by calling the thief rude names and plaguing them with hateful comments.

Issue number two is the increasing number of trolls, trouble makers, and just plain creepy people who have been making accounts for the soul purpose of plaguing random deviants with stupid and unnecessary problems. I, for one, am not exactly sure how DeviantART's code of conduct really works anymore as it seems to change everyday, but I do know one thing for sure. The lack of better security is starting to ward me off this place.
Not only the stealing (which I have been victim to many times) but also the trolling has become more and more prevailent on DA day by day, and just knowing there's not a darned thing we can do about it just seems to make matters worse.
Again, people who write journals about how they feel on this matter often get marked as spammers of dramatic because they can't keep a problem like this to themselves and out of people's minds.
Well, I am sorry people, but if it effects one person here, it's BOUND to effect all of us sooner or later, and when that day comes where the person who once thought that journal writer was a jerk for posting their little 'rant' maybe then the truth of it will sink in.
No one likes being singled out and picked on by someone else. Especially when it's a random person you know nothing about, and who knows nothing about you. So, it's only natural that a person would get mad and want to vent about their predicament to their 'friends' in a journal.
If you ask me, journals are meant to write in. When you keep one, you write in it everyday (or as often as you can) about your feelings, daily happenings, and other stuff pertaining to your life. It's not supposed to be censored so it caters to everyone's method of thinking, or ideals, so you tell me, what makes DA journals so different?
I can see if someone posts a journal ALL for the sake of causing drama by pointing fingers in directions they shouldn't, and causing a big stink about something stupid and insignificant, but thieves, and trolls are anything BUT this.
Stealing is wrong, and bullies need to be stopped before they escalate into a greater problem.
People need to become more aware that when you say something, it can cut deeper than you know and cause more stress than you think.
People are fragile creatures, and out mentality is based on a system. We as people hope that we can gain the respect and trust of those around us, so we're not alone. We're social animals, and we depend on one another for comfort when need be, but when someone pops up with their ideals and tries shove them down someone's throat, it can really throw off that balance and not only upset, but also get any respect a person had for you removed.
Come on people, love and caring isn't that hard. Learning to think before you say, or write something stupid that you KNOW will cut someone down isn't rocket science, and it's not complicated.
If all else fails, use the words from a quote a fuzzy little bunny once said.... I believe it goes 'If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all.'
If you can't say anything that will help someone, then just leave it at that and move on.
We're not here to replace mindsets, we're here to give piece of mind through our art.
Stand up, and start respecting people and their feelings..... DeviantART.com would be a much better place if we all stopped being so rude and unthoughtful.

Perhaps I am just farting rainbows, and puking unicorns with this news article, but I am really getting sick and tired of seeing great artists and good friends leaving because people can't just sit back and hold their tongue on matters that need help or compassion.
I'm sick of being called a drama-queen because I write a journal warning people of thieves and trolls, and I am sick of people claiming I'm pathetic for being upset when I have every right to be.
One person can change the world...but many can make history.....