The “hey I can still parallel park without scraping a fender” kind of self-discovery? Sure. The “my self image just got pissed on and it feels pretty soggy” kind? Not so much.

Suggestion: wait. Maybe twenty-four hours, maybe a couple/four days. Stay off Medium. Do… something. (Binge watch Netflix? Clean the basement?) Come back and read the comments again. Then embark on a journey of self-discovery, when you won’t have to worry about knee-jerk reactions on your part.

And maybe you’ll see more of the comments as just knee-jerk reactions by other people. In which case you, good and thoughtful writer that you are, can respond appropriately.