Once we announce that we have 4,999 ‘friends’, whenever we mention how many people we have defriended, and boast about how quickly we have replaced them with new ones, we’ve been compelled into thinking that facebook is ‘real-life’ and not the virtual reality that it has always been. We’ve begun to believe that those who are not as conscious as ourselves, will remain in the dark until they listen to what we have to say.
It stands to reason then, why so many of us don’t go to sleep without first checking how many likes we’ve received on our latest post(s). It’s understandable as well why we wake up in the morning and check our page before getting out of bed, and it gives credence to why we’re facebooking at breakfast, on the way to work, on our sanctioned and unsanctioned breaks, at lunch, on the way home, and time and time again before going to sleep.
Facebook is a social media, that can assist us in expanding whatever endeavor we’ve undertaken. It’s a mode of networking, that’s at least equal to any means we’ve employed thus far, and it can take us to a level where beings all over the world, and perhaps beyond, can be exposed to who we say we are, what we claim we’ve done, and what we assert that we’re about to do.
We already know that facebook is exponentially increasing the number of people we’re capable of reaching, and we want to believe that we’re making a positive contribution to other people’s lives, The fact of the matter is that facebook is doing what we want it to do, but what about us. Can we honestly say that we are actually living the messages that we are trying to convey. If you believe that you are, I challenge you to challenge yourself.
Take a selfie, and prior to going on facebook when you wake up in the morning, look at that picture of yourself and say to it…“Today I’m going to do something that benefits another. Then, at some time during the day, do just that. Call or text somebody you haven’t talked to in a minute, give a homeless person a dollar, say hello to a stranger, or do whatever your ingenious mind can come up with to uplift somebody other than yourself.
Then at night, after checking your facebook page, look at your selfie again and say… “I’m proud of you. Today you made someone else’s life better as a result of their having been in your presence. Try that methodology for at least a week, and I guarantee that you won’t be as concerned with how many so called friends like what you say, as you are with how much of a real friend you’ve become.
Let facebook do what it do, as we try to become more than just the image of us that we’ve put on display.
To comment or respond to this blog please click on the word comments at the bottom of this page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com
Hello Calvin! Thank you for sharing your insight here. I love the way you offered up a challenge in this context for one way to shift the focus ... and to commit to it for a period of time! I was thinking after reading this that it's about our attention - where is it? And it's so true and applicable wherever we may be--on Facebook or otherwise. More than putting our attention how much attention we (or others) may be receiving or not receiving from anyone, we can shift our attention to how we allocate our attention and to whom and when. Of course, this can be hard to do in the moment we are so focused on the outside. In my experience, it is so challenging to become aware of your challenging spots and then simultaneously to feel at a loss in the very moment. What kind of friend are being to ourselves if we are not giving ourselves the attention we need and looking everywhere but within? And then what does that say about what we are capable of giving to others? When we do a practice of some kind regularly for a while, then it is there for us in the moments of greatest need. I like the idea of bringing friendship -- and how we are being a friend -- to the fore of our attention.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely on point Manisha, the blog is all about prioritizing. Most important is not how we are treated, because people will be who they are and will do what they do. We can instead give priority to how we treat others because our actions determine our karma. STAY WELL...
ReplyDeleteI came back here because of the other post you just announced and our exchange here is a timely reminder! The universe - on time again! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you as well Manisha...
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