1 through 5
(In no particular order)
1) Facebook sets people up to annoy each other just as much as it helps people celebrate one another. Well, what more can I say about that. You know it's true.
It really is a tension. We all want to celebrate the lives of each other. Who doesn't? That's what makes facebook cool. But in celebrating I think we become all too familiar with one another. And you know how the saying goes, "familiarity breeds contempt."
2) Thinking to yourself is healthy. Throwing your thoughts out for the world to see is almost too easy. I found that there were many times in my hibernation where I found myself saying, "there's a post!" only to have to put it aside. When I put that thought/post aside I found myself actually thinking about what I thought I wanted to say. After a few moments the "feeling to post" passed and I was glad it did...Why did I need you to validate that little thought of mine? I didn't. Neither do you.
What we need is the discipline to actually do great things with important thoughts! Imagine what would happen if you could actually put your clever idea to work?
3) Facebook and Doritos should be consumed and shared in moderation. I love Doritos. I can eat and eat Doritos. A full bag can become an empty bag quickly. I think Doritos melt my brains ability to think about what I am doing. Facebook can do the same. Before you know it, you are on facebook all the time. You're waiting to see if you have any red in your notifications. It's an addictive cycle. Like Doritos, you're hooked...no turning back.
Let me say that healthy relationships should be encouraged and facebook can nourish some relationships. Notice that I italicized healthy in the last sentence. But not all facebook relationships are healthy for your soul or good for your heart. So, like Doritos, facebook as a relationship tool and some facebook relationships are best in moderation.
4) We all want to be heard, but there are not enough listeners. One of the primary reasons facebook is so addictive is that we believe people are actually listening to us. Our spouse may not listen, our boss may not listen, our kids may not listen, our parents may not listen, but SOMEONE on facebook will listen. And you never know who will listen. It may be your friend from the third grade or a person you copied notes from in college. It really could be anyone, but for that moment, you know you were heard.
I'm convinced the world has lost the fine art of listening. We don't pause to think. People rally behind convenience and short-term success when the right answer and long-lasting success is right in front of their nose if only they would pause and listen. Millions of marriages, jobs, and relationships would be saved if we lived in a world where people listened. On facebook someone will listen, the only challenge is just because someone is listening, it doesn't mean the right people are listening. This is especially true if you want to bring about change with someone who is not listening to you when you are face to face.
5) Taking a break from Facebook doesn't break you socially! If you naturally love people, leaving the facebook world does not disconnect you from important relationships. You may engage with some of your relationships differently, but those relationships do not go away - nor do they die!
Facebook tends to play out more like summer camp than real life. What I mean is that relationships on facebook are fairly static. You can leave and come back and pick up right where you left off. Just like friends at summer camp. I see you. You see me. We hang out. We don't see each other for 6 months and it's like no time has passed at all!
On this topic, like I've said in other posts, without facebook some relationships get stronger. I found that my face to face relationships became more rich and dynamic.
-----------------------
I'm still processing many thoughts and will post more things I learned if/when they come to me. No doubt, if you take a break from facebook, you'll have some different experiences than me, but one thing I can guarantee is that for every day you are off of facebook, you'll begin to learn more about you.
(In no particular order)
1) Facebook sets people up to annoy each other just as much as it helps people celebrate one another. Well, what more can I say about that. You know it's true.
It really is a tension. We all want to celebrate the lives of each other. Who doesn't? That's what makes facebook cool. But in celebrating I think we become all too familiar with one another. And you know how the saying goes, "familiarity breeds contempt."
2) Thinking to yourself is healthy. Throwing your thoughts out for the world to see is almost too easy. I found that there were many times in my hibernation where I found myself saying, "there's a post!" only to have to put it aside. When I put that thought/post aside I found myself actually thinking about what I thought I wanted to say. After a few moments the "feeling to post" passed and I was glad it did...Why did I need you to validate that little thought of mine? I didn't. Neither do you.
What we need is the discipline to actually do great things with important thoughts! Imagine what would happen if you could actually put your clever idea to work?
3) Facebook and Doritos should be consumed and shared in moderation. I love Doritos. I can eat and eat Doritos. A full bag can become an empty bag quickly. I think Doritos melt my brains ability to think about what I am doing. Facebook can do the same. Before you know it, you are on facebook all the time. You're waiting to see if you have any red in your notifications. It's an addictive cycle. Like Doritos, you're hooked...no turning back.
Let me say that healthy relationships should be encouraged and facebook can nourish some relationships. Notice that I italicized healthy in the last sentence. But not all facebook relationships are healthy for your soul or good for your heart. So, like Doritos, facebook as a relationship tool and some facebook relationships are best in moderation.
4) We all want to be heard, but there are not enough listeners. One of the primary reasons facebook is so addictive is that we believe people are actually listening to us. Our spouse may not listen, our boss may not listen, our kids may not listen, our parents may not listen, but SOMEONE on facebook will listen. And you never know who will listen. It may be your friend from the third grade or a person you copied notes from in college. It really could be anyone, but for that moment, you know you were heard.
I'm convinced the world has lost the fine art of listening. We don't pause to think. People rally behind convenience and short-term success when the right answer and long-lasting success is right in front of their nose if only they would pause and listen. Millions of marriages, jobs, and relationships would be saved if we lived in a world where people listened. On facebook someone will listen, the only challenge is just because someone is listening, it doesn't mean the right people are listening. This is especially true if you want to bring about change with someone who is not listening to you when you are face to face.
5) Taking a break from Facebook doesn't break you socially! If you naturally love people, leaving the facebook world does not disconnect you from important relationships. You may engage with some of your relationships differently, but those relationships do not go away - nor do they die!
Facebook tends to play out more like summer camp than real life. What I mean is that relationships on facebook are fairly static. You can leave and come back and pick up right where you left off. Just like friends at summer camp. I see you. You see me. We hang out. We don't see each other for 6 months and it's like no time has passed at all!
On this topic, like I've said in other posts, without facebook some relationships get stronger. I found that my face to face relationships became more rich and dynamic.
-----------------------
I'm still processing many thoughts and will post more things I learned if/when they come to me. No doubt, if you take a break from facebook, you'll have some different experiences than me, but one thing I can guarantee is that for every day you are off of facebook, you'll begin to learn more about you.
