Farewell Facebook

I am done with facebook. At least for now. It's just another THING in this world that clutters my mind and interferes with reality. For lent, I've given up TV (except for The Voice and sports...those aren't junk), and it has made such a difference in my productivity and even spiritual life. Instead of driving down the road thinking "gosh, I hope Taylor and Lisa can really work it out" (<--good for you if you don't know who I'm talking about) I drive down the road in prayer or thinking of real-life important things. It's refreshing.

Facebook didn't used to be so bad, but I don't really "like" (<-- get it??) what it's evolved into. People's thoughts and emotions are affirmed or denied based on the number of people that 'like' or comment on a status or picture. There is always someone out there who disagrees with you. There are always causes floating around where people think you're an ass if you don't support it, but plenty of people will be there to tell you why you're an ignorant idiot if you do. People can paint such flowery, unrealistic pictures of their life with their words and pictures and I think people start to compare their lives to these 'faux' lives portrayed online, and it turns into a negative thing. It's just not real. I know that most of these things can happen in real life too, but I think I'll stick with real life.

And while I'm on it, real life, not facebook, is your reality. I think, for a lot of people, facebook is a way for people to paint whatever picture of themselves they want to paint, and then feel validated in it (guilty). I think this, not networking, is why it has such a pull on people. I would dare say that the majority of the posts on facebook are not there to update friends, but at their core are there to project an image of a person so he/she can feel good about him/herself. I'm all for feeling good, but again, this is not reality. Instead of looking for validation or confidence through facebook, look in the mirror. Look at your heart. Look at your real-life intentional relationships and go from there. If you want to change how your life and personality are projected, do that. But don't just do it on facebook and pretend it's reality.

Real life is slower, smaller, more deliberate, and much much more personal. 743 people do not need to see my daughter's birthday pictures. If I haven't seen you since elementary school, I don't need to know where you're eating dinner. I know times are a-changin', but I just don't think that this is real relationship. If I want to catch up with distant family, I'll write an email, or maybe even a letter in the snail mail. If I want to share pictures with my real life friends or family, then I'll do just that; everyone else I've ever met doesn't need to see them. If I have something worth saying, then I'll say it to a real person and not just put it in a status. This way if I run into an old friend or acquaintance, or go to a high school reunion, we won't have that awkward moment of thinking "I know all about your life, but I'll pretend I don't" as we smile and nod. I want a little surprise and mystery in life. And if people really want to catch up with me and my family - I have email, a physical address, 2 phone numbers, a twitter, and I think even a linkedin. I think that's more than sufficient.

I have been in too many situations, and seen too many situations where people are together in real life, and they're all on their smart phones on facebook and twitter instead of enjoying the presence of the living, breathing, warm, life-filled human beings surrounding them. I think it's really sad. I want to treasure this type of relationship, not hinder it with technology.

So for that, I'm done. You know where to find me. And if you don't, let's be honest, we're probably not that close anyway :)