A common theme occurring I am seeing on FB is the cry of "what is happening to our country?" While there are a million things going on, I firmly believe that social media and how we communicate is one of the biggest things impacting our direction.
While I believe the internet became available to everyday people in the early 1990s, it took some time before it became what it is to us today.
I remember how all the big news happened- we'd get word of something going on and would run to our TVs. If you were at work and had a cool boss like I often did, you'd head out to the closest TV in a restaurant or bar. I distinctly remember crowding in a neighboring bar/restaurant to watch the more dramatic phases of the Clarence Thomas hearings. One guy said "that is a good reason not to drink soda out of a can". A joke in poor taste but most of us groaned and sortof laughed because we knew it was just a simple "thing to say" without deeper meaning. There was a sense of comradery. Even if you didn't agree with the person standing next to you, it was a shared expedience and healthy dialogues could follow. The years of the Clinton affairs and Starr report etc etc were shared with Republicans and Dems alike. We all snickered at the blue dress. When Hilary blamed the "vast white ring conspiracy", a guy near me said "I'm gonna keep that excuse if I ever need it". The majority of people shared this experience and then talked - in person- to others. Even 9/11 meant calling friends and running to the closest TV. We mourned together - not alone behind our computers. Had Charlottesville occured before these days (which it did in many forms), you would have known that everyone around you was as shocked and appalled as you. We would have not questioned who someone voted for in November; we would have held eachother strong and cried together. simple short wedding dresses
I don't believe they were the "good ole days" and there is no going back anyway, but I think we have to learn how to navigate this new world of being together but apart. I'm writing to you in the same way I would talk in person and I think that we would all do better to think that way.
I enjoy social media and the way it allows us to know one another and each other's lives. What I dislike is how quick we are to jump and scream and call each other names. We are quick to accuse and long or sometimes unable to forgive or even doubt our own false assumptions.
Life is too short to be this angry. I debated leaving FB all together, but I'd miss you all. So my vow is to not respond with knee jerk reactions unless it is a good knee jerk. I also vow - as much as I hate the phone and going anywhere- if you need to hear a voice and share life from somewhere besides behind a screen, I'll do my darndest to make it happen.
Have a good day guys. I believe this world is good. Really good.