I recently made a statement that would seem by the many reactions to be a signal of a problem. I am cutting way back on my Facebook time. The reactions were interesting and even touching. Some seemed to think there was something wrong or that there was some kind of personal problem that precipitated this decision. Let me first dispel that notion. There is nothing wrong….well that wasn’t wrong before the decision anyway.
First a few words about Facebook. On the surface this type of communication and conversation seems pretty harmless and fun and on the surface it is. But dig deeper and you see the problems. Facebook has become a major advertiser that constantly observes and gathers data about each user and aims ads in each user’s direction based on that data. Facebook has also become a real political machine of sorts but the problem is that much of what is purported simply isn’t factual or is so heavily spun towards a certain agenda that it is almost ridiculous to read and believe anything on face value. That being said, there are just too many people online that do just that and that is the end of their examination of facts. To me that is a dangerous recipe for our country in that the political power in this country will belong to the believers of Facebook.
Another aspect of Facebook is it seems to have transformed what friendships are and are not. In my past, a good friend was someone I could talk to anytime about anything and get support and guidance and they could count on me as well for that. Now the best friend you have has the fastest download and upload speeds. This just doesn’t seem healthy to me and it seems to push the notion forward that personal connection is now directly proportional to baud rate. Technology has jumped in leaps and bounds in the area of making the world a smaller place but I’m afraid it has not made the world a closer place and I believe it has actually widened personal disconnection.
Now, to be fair, Facebook is not all bad. I have connected, albeit electronically and in brief words, to many in my past and there is a sort of comfort in hearing from old friends and knowing that some things do not change. By that same token some of these people I follow never really knew me very well growing up and some had no interest in knowing me so it would seem odd that suddenly they want to be “friends”. Again I guess it boils down to what I conceive as a friend and a Facebook “friend” and how they really do differ.
Now this paragraph is not directed to any one individual or group but it just speaks to another interesting phenomena that has evolved from Facebook. Pictures. Pictures of every detail of our lives. Pictures of our homes, food, clothes, cars, babies, weather, etc., etc., etc. They even make an attachment for your phone now that is a kind of telescopic boom to attach your phone to in order to make more interesting “selfies”. Facebook has taken self-absorption to a new level. I remember when a picture was a really prized possession. Now we are so inundated with pictures of everything in our world that they have lost their special quality of being individually special. I know this kind of saturation of pictures and videos will not change and I also know many of you are rolling your eyes saying boy is this guy behind the times but it is something that I have observed over these past couple years.
So to conclude, I am OK. I still value each of my family and friends very highly. I am going through a sort of personal change and challenge that is causing me to rethink and refocus what I am doing with my time and thus determined Facebook was taking too much of it. I expect I will return once I get a few things worked out so until then, love, laugh and live your lives and treasure your true friends.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Good Vs Evil......
I’ve been thinking about this lately and since I can’t really put my finger on the answer I thought I would share the question. The question is as follows: What makes a good person good?
Now on the surface it would seem the answer is pretty obvious but it really is far from it. In fact, good, these days, seems to be a very subjective term. Not that many years ago there was a real distinction between good and evil. So let’s examine the issue and some of the things that I see as defining terms and yet not always.
Is a person that goes to church every Sunday a good person? I would submit that this alone will never define a person as good and in fact, I’ve known many people over my years that go to church that could never fall into that category. By the same token, I know many people who do not attend that I would classify as good. So while this part of a person can signify a strength in character and a belief in something bigger then themselves, it does not, in my mind, make you a good or a bad person by itself.
So how about a person with good intentions? I think good intentions are a good thing but not acted upon are not really meaningful. You know about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions right? So again, in my little mind, good intentions without execution are not a true way to measure a person.
Are Republicans good and Democrats evil or is it the other way around? Do politics make a person good or evil. I suppose you could surmise that many in politics are evil but I don’t believe that. I do know that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely but I will leave it at that because this little offering really is not about politics. It’s about traits of a person that make them good or otherwise. Politics falls outside of this discussion because either someone is truthful or they are not and that may be the best way to separate politicians.
Are poor people good? Are rich people good? I would answer both those questions with yes and no. In other words, your wealth or lack of wealth does not make you good or evil. There is a segment of the population that considers all wealthy people to be greedy and evil. I don’t subscribe to that theory. There is a segment that thinks poor people are inherently criminals and only looking out for themselves and I think that is also wrong. While a person’s circumstance in life can influence how they behave you cannot categorically claim that all in one group or another are good or evil. It’s all about actions.
This is not an issue that is so cut and dry. In my opinion a good person is a combination of traits that incorporate a giving spirit, a helping hand, and basically a person looking out for their fellow man. I think church is a great thing but you need to be involved in a way that is serving as well as receiving. If you only attend every service to gain forgiveness and enable you to return to your less than good ways it is meaningless. So when you look at the religious person, it still comes down to execution of morals and principles in this world.
Finally I think the best judge of a person is not when you are watching their behavior or following their actions but more when you are not. Integrity is just that. When no one is watching how do they behave and act? Why do they do what they do? Do they give to a charity or give of their time to attain some sort of status within their community? Do they want everyone in the world to know they gave to a charity? So you see, in my eyes, action without the right intentions can also be a troubling way to judge a person.
That’s all for now. This good and evil thing can be a very daunting task to actually recognize because probably the most giving, generous and loving people on this planet don’t do it for recognition….they do it because they are good.
Now on the surface it would seem the answer is pretty obvious but it really is far from it. In fact, good, these days, seems to be a very subjective term. Not that many years ago there was a real distinction between good and evil. So let’s examine the issue and some of the things that I see as defining terms and yet not always.
Is a person that goes to church every Sunday a good person? I would submit that this alone will never define a person as good and in fact, I’ve known many people over my years that go to church that could never fall into that category. By the same token, I know many people who do not attend that I would classify as good. So while this part of a person can signify a strength in character and a belief in something bigger then themselves, it does not, in my mind, make you a good or a bad person by itself.
So how about a person with good intentions? I think good intentions are a good thing but not acted upon are not really meaningful. You know about the road to Hell being paved with good intentions right? So again, in my little mind, good intentions without execution are not a true way to measure a person.
Are Republicans good and Democrats evil or is it the other way around? Do politics make a person good or evil. I suppose you could surmise that many in politics are evil but I don’t believe that. I do know that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely but I will leave it at that because this little offering really is not about politics. It’s about traits of a person that make them good or otherwise. Politics falls outside of this discussion because either someone is truthful or they are not and that may be the best way to separate politicians.
Are poor people good? Are rich people good? I would answer both those questions with yes and no. In other words, your wealth or lack of wealth does not make you good or evil. There is a segment of the population that considers all wealthy people to be greedy and evil. I don’t subscribe to that theory. There is a segment that thinks poor people are inherently criminals and only looking out for themselves and I think that is also wrong. While a person’s circumstance in life can influence how they behave you cannot categorically claim that all in one group or another are good or evil. It’s all about actions.
This is not an issue that is so cut and dry. In my opinion a good person is a combination of traits that incorporate a giving spirit, a helping hand, and basically a person looking out for their fellow man. I think church is a great thing but you need to be involved in a way that is serving as well as receiving. If you only attend every service to gain forgiveness and enable you to return to your less than good ways it is meaningless. So when you look at the religious person, it still comes down to execution of morals and principles in this world.
Finally I think the best judge of a person is not when you are watching their behavior or following their actions but more when you are not. Integrity is just that. When no one is watching how do they behave and act? Why do they do what they do? Do they give to a charity or give of their time to attain some sort of status within their community? Do they want everyone in the world to know they gave to a charity? So you see, in my eyes, action without the right intentions can also be a troubling way to judge a person.
That’s all for now. This good and evil thing can be a very daunting task to actually recognize because probably the most giving, generous and loving people on this planet don’t do it for recognition….they do it because they are good.
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