Sunday, May 15, 2016

Facebook Fatigue

Is anyone out there beginning to experience Facebook fatigue? I can speak for myself and say yes. First it seems the heavy users of Facebook gauge their popularity in how many friends they have or how many likes they get and if we all stood back to think about this fact is it not troubling?

It would seem that we are all staying inside on the couch a lot more and this behavior is translating to our kids. I am as guilty as many about not being able to just put my phone down and forget about it. We are all completely tied to technology at such an unhealthy level now. I grew up until my 20’s without a cell phone or computer so what has changed? Why is immediate connectivity so important now?

Well I’ve made a decision. My wife, my family and my life are too important to waste away on Facebook. I am going to make a change. I won’t entirely step away from Facebook but I will be on it much less. It’s time to focus on what’s important to me and that is not on my computer screen! The people that are most important to me, and I them, know how to communicate with me. I really think that my life will be much simpler and I will enjoy my lovely wife more. I will concentrate on what is around me and the people around me.

This announcement will not shake anyone’s world but my own but I wanted people to know I’m not just disappearing. I am trying to make a healthy change. I will look in now and again but as I said it will not be every day and it will not be on the hour. To all of you who feel compelled to live your life on Facebook I wish you the best but don’t forget about the people around you that you may actually be ignoring even if they don’t say so. Life is short…..don’t waste it away online.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Irrelevant?

It’s been a while since I wrote anything. Not sure why….but I’m back.

One thing I’ve been pondering lately is something I do think about from time to time but it seems more relevant as time goes by. In fact the term relevant could be applied to this as well. The question is this; has time passed me by? Am I a prude? Have I become an old curmudgeon that just hasn’t kept up with the times?

Ok, that’s several questions but they all pertain to the same thing. I see the use of disrespectful language, disrespectful behavior and everything in-between and I am starting to think the new norm is something I’ve not adapted to as I grow older. I see just one foul word on a post in Facebook and I shake my head. I wonder what has happened that language has become so unbridled. Then I think is it me? Am I so out of touch, so old fashioned that I cannot loosen up and not react to these things?

So I guess I am wondering if the bar has changed and I just haven’t changed with it. Am I becoming irrelevant to this new age of behavior? I’m not certain anymore. It’s not like I have no sense of humor or don’t enjoy having fun. It’s not that I am perfect and haven’t slipped up in the past. I am far from perfect. I have my own warts as does everyone.

I think what it comes down to being is I don’t react to change always positively. I don’t react well to decaying moral and social values that I see now as what many seem to think is the norm. I will likely go to my grave with these same feelings. I think life and people should be respected. (ALL life) I think the slow elimination of our children being able to communicate face to face will be the ruination of our society. I think the internet, with all its amazing advances and benefits have taken away the respect of our children for nature and for life. It has somehow cheapened what previous generations have seen as valuable.

I guess when I boil it all down I see no going back. We are obviously completely dependent on technology now right down to our youngest children. The simpler things in life I can appreciate will likely be considered old fashioned and now irrelevant. The fact is I will not change. Call me old fashioned or out of touch but it will not deter me from still enjoying a warm breeze or a fresh flower or chirping birds. Because when we all leave this planet, there will still be warm breezes, fresh flowers and chirping birds and they will all still be much more important than your IPad.