Today, I look in the shadows.
Today was the birthday of a Facebook friend, someone I don't know in real life.
Nowadays, when I get a birthday notification (or, on LinkedIn, an anniversary of employment notification) of someone I don't keep in contact with personally, I inch into it. I look at their page.
Are they employed?
Have they abandoned the social media platform?
Or, worst of all, are they seriously ill or are no longer in a place where social media exists?
And then, if I ascertain they are alive, there is one more step. I don't even want to admit it, but I have to do this, just to preserve my sanity.
If they've posted in the last year or so, and I just haven't seen those posts, I look to see if their recent posts are toxic. If they've gone to a place I don't want to follow. If...if...if....
A post by minister John Pavlovitz I read today spoke to my heart. It's true, some of his posts may not be what you want to hear, but they all deserve a good read and this one, I think, speaks to all of us.
It's called "A Funeral for the Living".
I think we've all attended those funerals, whether we know it or not. We all are the walking wounded. This pandemic has affected us all in ways that we won't be able to realize until we are able to look back.
Because, this pandemic will end. All pandemics do end, even the one that may have killed hundreds of millions of people.
But what will be left of us?
I know how you feel. I’ve lost friends to the extremist politics of our times, something that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. It’s sad.
ReplyDelete...my personality allows me to put much of this aside to keep moving on.
ReplyDeleteI have a number of friends that I grew up with that are now absolutely toxic and extremist in their politics. I don't cut them off but I do limit my interaction with them, even to the point of sometimes blocking one on social media. It's a matter of maintaining my mental health.
ReplyDeleteI think that's why I like Twitter. I don't know any of the people I follow in real life. Well, that's not true, but the people I actually have met don't post too often. I think that makes me happier, not seeing people I know online.
ReplyDeleteI try to look for positive in most things. I keep my self going and some time it even push.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe