ALL these after-storm debates, weather updates, and what-if forecasts — they didn’t just shake trees; they shook the monster inside me.

I follow a weather tracker page that’s not Pag-asa — because, let’sface it, it’s more logical and reliable. But some of its followers are neither.

I posted a simple question: Will the incoming typhoon hit Mindanao? The map showed Caraga and the Zamboanga Peninsula shaded.

Since I’m not a weather forecaster (just someone who reads graphs when they’re about finances), I asked. The admin, bless her patience, replied that it would not — without judgment or emojis.

Then came Exhibit A: a capital-centric keyboard warrior who replied, “Yes, LOL.”

Charming.

I ignored him, assuming he was one of those who think geography ends where their internet connection does.

But then came Exhibit B — another self-proclaimed expert from the capital bubble — who rattled in his capital-city cadence, condescendingly recommending that I use common sense because, clearly, Luzon is far from Mindanao.

He even declared that I “know nothing about geography.”

That was when the monster stirred. I could have unleashed a Category 5 comeback. Still, I took a breath and switched to English — my version of a verbal umbrella.

I told him it’s they who need geography lessons, because they know nothing about the regions beyond their delivery radius.

All they know is Manila and its suburbs, which, for some, is already “the Philippines.”

Yes, that’s how narrow the space is between their ears. I don’t usually mind small-minded people.

But when intellect is what’s being trampled, I raise high waters. Make fun of my looks or my body — fine.

But mock my intelligence, and I will flood your thread with facts. Because here’s the real storm: ignorance delivered with confidence.

How fascinating that in 2025, the archipelago is still divided by more than islands. Curiosity is now punishable by sarcasm.

Ask one question and someone’s bound to brandish their map like it’s a master’s degree. It’s ironic, really.

We live in a country regularly battered by typhoons, yet some are still allergic to humility. A storm can cross Visayas in hours, but empathy hasn’t crossed EDSA in years.

That’s our national weather pattern — arrogance with scattered showers of self-importance. But let’s look beyond geography.

It’s about how we deal with each other online — where too often, noise passes for knowledge and confidence drowns out sense. The internet is full of people who’drather be right loudly than be correct quietly.

So, here’s the takeaway, before anyone else drowns in their own certainty:

1. Ask first, drag later. Questions don’t kill credibility — arrogance does.

2. Read the map, not the comment thread. Storms move; sarcasm shouldn’t.

3. Respect is regional. Manners shouldn’t stop where your area code does.

4. Confidence without comprehension is just noise in capital letters.

5. And lastly: the next time someone asks a question online, answer with grace — because storms pass, but screenshots are forever.

Still brewing thoughts — no sugarcoating, just stories steeped in truth.