^ This guy says it right. ^
Jesus
Looking forward to the dark ages
I’m excited. Thursday I will officially delete my Facebook account. It’s a weird thing to be excited about but I am nonetheless. Since making the decision to delete I have rarely checked my news feed and I have to tell you I have found it very freeing. I keep thinking about life before social media existed, before the internet existed, and I can’t help but feel a freedom in my chest and a relief in my soul.
I think technology is great and beneficial but with every advance we make there will always be drawbacks. One of those drawbacks, in my case anyway, is a sort of social claustrophobia. I need time alone, away from my friends and family. Facebook and other forms of social media have the negative effect on me of making me feel that my friends and family are always with me, watching my every move.
Though I’m rarely on Facebook anymore, I still check it occasionally when I receive a notification and that sense that something is expected from me hangs in the air. Am I supposed to “like” this or “comment” on that? Should I “share” this link or “unfollow” that friend? Do I pretend I didn’t see that “event” or should I go even though I’m not really good friends with that person? Then when I DO see my friends in person there is always that one question, “Did you see what I posted on Facebook?” “You saw those pictures I posted, right?” “Can you believe ‘so and so’ posted that on Facebook?” It’s a kind of social pressure that I am not good at.
I’m convinced that in order to truly draw near to the Father of all creation, we MUST find silence, we must learn solitude. Silence, solitude and quiet are rarely found and rarely sought after in our modern age, and busyness puts a wedge between me and He. He chooses to be a still, quiet voice in our lives. He chooses to connect to us by His most Holy Spirit. If He chooses thus, I must choose to follow.
Perhaps there are many who can find that silence and solitude in their lives and still maintain a Facebook account. I am not one of them, not with two beautiful girls to keep me running, a mother to care for and a husband to spend my evenings making moon eyes at. I love my family, friends and acquaintances but I believe every relationship in my life will be made richer by shedding myself of one more noisy cricket chirping in my ear. If we were friends before Facebook then we should remain so after I have departed. And if we are not friends once I leave, that frees us both up to do other things.
And I say none of this to judge others, either. If you love Facebook, by all means log in as often as you care to. If you are able to maintain an account and limit how often you log in, good for you! If deleting Facebook seems undesirable to you then choose for yourselves whether or not to stay but as for me and my computer, we will delete our Facebook account.
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adam4d.com/david
I don’t wanna give away the punchline but this thought (see above link) blew my mind. And I love it.
Cred: adam4d.com
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A Story of Four Tents
Four people went out and bought tents. They all bought the same cute little pup tent in different colors. One blue, one green, one orange and one pink. Each tent came with a coupon for a tent repair kit, no expiration date. They took their tents home. They cared for their tents, kept them clean and neat, never losing a part or ripping the fabric. They used their tents lovingly for many years without incident. The tents seemed indestructible. They loved their tents as if they were their own children.
Then one summer they all went camping on the same night. An unexpected summer storm set in. The winds and rain pummeled the tents. Branches flew through the air, smacking into the tents, ripping into the fabric and bending the poles. The next morning the sun peered out from behind the clouds, the air smelled clean after the rain and the campers emerged from their battered tents to survey the damage. All four tents were damaged but not destroyed. The campers were devastated but then each made a plan and set it in motion.
Blue called the manufacturer and asked that the tent maker repair the tent. The tent maker agreed and returned the tent to Blue in better than new condition. Blue went camping the following weekend.
Green also called the manufacturer and asked that the tent maker repair the tent. They had to leave a voicemail, though, and never heard back from the manufacturer. Green became angry and embittered toward the manufacturer and started a blog just to bad mouth the tent maker. Green eventually used the coupon for the tent repair kit, though. The tent is repaired and just fine. In fact, unless you knew where to look you’d never know there was ever any damage. Green’s blog has gained a lot of followers.
Orange called the manufacturer too. They also left a voicemail and never heard back. Orange, however, was unphased by this. Orange remembered that the purchase agreement stated that damage to the tent was expected and redeemed the coupon immediately. The tent is repaired and doing just fine. Like Green’s, you would never know that there had ever been any damage. Because Orange didn’t start a rage-filled, hate blog, they have a lot more time to go camping and they get a lot more use out of their tent than Green does these days.
Pink never even thought about calling the manufacturer. They redeemed the coupon and I think you know what happened next. Pink went camping with Blue last weekend.
Each tent owner handled the situation completely differently, but one thing remained the same in each scenario. The tent owner was not hurt in the storm, only the tent was. The tent was damaged, not the person.
Something to think about.
Every Day Bonnie 