The Balance of Brothers

Canto XII: The Social Media Backfire

Late one evening, Dylan sat at his desk, his laptop glowing like a beacon of opportunity. He had decided it was time to take his ideas to the world. No longer content with Nick's constant dismissals and the indifference of family gatherings, Dylan had crafted a manifesto on the dangers of humility—a rallying cry for the ambitious to reject mediocrity.He titled his post: *"Why Humility is the Greatest Enemy of Progress."*As his fingers flew across the keyboard, he poured his heart and frustration into every word. He outlined his arguments with rhetorical flair, accusing society of weaponizing humility to suppress brilliance. He cited examples from history, albeit loosely interpreted, and included plenty of sharp jabs at the "pragmatists" of the world—pragmatists like Nick.Satisfied, Dylan leaned back, rereading his work with a smug smile. "This will show them," he muttered. With a flourish, he hit "Post," sharing it with all his followers.---The first notification came within minutes. Dylan clicked eagerly, his chest swelling with anticipation. It was a comment from a former classmate, someone he vaguely remembered from college."Is this satire?" the comment read.Dylan frowned, typing a quick reply: "No, it's an honest critique of societal norms. Maybe read it again."More notifications followed. At first, they were from people he knew—friends, acquaintances, a distant cousin—but then strangers began chiming in. Dylan grinned as the likes and comments poured in, imagining his words sparking a revolution of thought.But as he scrolled through the responses, his smile began to fade.---"Pretty sure humility isn't what's holding most people back. Maybe it's arrogance?" one comment said.Another read, "This guy sounds like he's never worked a day in his life. Classic armchair philosopher."Then came the memes. Someone had screenshotted a particularly fiery line from Dylan's post—*"Humility is the shackle that binds the exceptional to the mundane"*—and paired it with a picture of a cat tangled in a ball of yarn. The caption read: *"Help, I'm being held back by humility!"*Dylan's jaw clenched as he continued scrolling. The worst offenders were those who quoted Nick's favorite phrases in response."Sometimes a decent parking spot is all you need." "Humility: Not a weakness, just a lack of overthinking." "Someone get this guy a napkin."---By midnight, Dylan's post had spiraled into chaos. His arguments were being dissected, mocked, and reinterpreted in ways he hadn't anticipated. A few sympathetic voices tried to defend him, but their efforts were drowned out by the avalanche of criticism and jokes.Slamming his laptop shut, Dylan stood and paced the room, muttering under his breath. "Idiots. They're all idiots. They don't understand the depth of what I'm saying."Just then, Nick appeared in the doorway, holding a mug of tea. "What's all the stomping about?""Nothing," Dylan snapped, glaring at him.Nick raised an eyebrow. "Nothing, huh? Because it sounds like the kind of nothing that involves a lot of angry muttering."Dylan hesitated, then gestured at the laptop. "Fine. I posted something, and people didn't get it."Nick took a sip of his tea, clearly amused. "What'd you post?""An essay," Dylan said defensively. "About humility. About how it's used to suppress ambition."Nick smirked. "Let me guess. People disagreed?"Dylan threw up his hands. "They didn't just disagree—they mocked me! They twisted my words and turned them into memes. Memes, Nick!"Nick chuckled, leaning against the doorframe. "Welcome to the internet."---Dylan flopped onto the couch, burying his face in his hands. "Why do people always miss the point? Why can't they just understand what I'm trying to say?"Nick walked over, setting his mug on the coffee table. "Because you don't make it easy, Dylan. You talk at people, not to them. You come off as... I don't know, kind of arrogant.""I'm not arrogant!" Dylan protested, sitting up. "I'm confident. There's a difference.""Sure," Nick said, his tone noncommittal. "But if you want people to listen, you might try meeting them where they are. A little humility goes a long way."Dylan groaned, throwing his head back against the couch. "Not this again.""Hey, I'm just saying," Nick said, picking up his tea. "You can keep shouting into the void, or you can figure out how to actually connect with people."---Later that night, Dylan reopened his laptop and stared at his post. The comments and memes were still rolling in, but this time, he read them with less indignation and more curiosity.What if Nick was right? What if his tone was the problem, not his ideas? Maybe humility wasn't about suppressing ambition. Maybe it was about understanding how to communicate it without alienating everyone around him.Shaking his head, Dylan closed the browser. "Ridiculous," he muttered, though the doubt lingered. For the first time, he wondered if the lesson he needed wasn't about ambition, but about how to temper it.He shut the laptop and went to bed, resolving to ignore the internet for at least a week. But as he drifted off to sleep, one thought kept nagging at him.Maybe Nick wasn't as mediocre as he seemed.