FaceBlah

Sometimes I wonder if social media has brought about the madness, the euphoria, the mindless musings, and the chaotic events that produce endless status feeds online. The world seems more disorganized, tragedy filled, loud and annoying. It's really becoming too much and overwhelming in that virtual side of Life.

Everyone, including myself, is posting the funniest, the saddest, the weirdest, the most favorite, the worst, the best, and the latest in world news and current affairs. Other media sources have become shared links on a friend's status board. How much of this information can we store in The Cloud? How much is too much, and what will it take to break it? What will come out of this heartbreak?

Just because I'm posting or sharing someone else's grief, success, birthday, recent discovery, purchase, or whatever story it is, doesn't really mean anything, it is just a tweet or a shout-out. People think that by posting things, they are doing an act of kindness, exposing whatever needs publicity and help, when in fact it's just a moral boost to make themselves feel good by doing so. And I am guilty of this myself.

Kindness is not a result or a response to some tragedy or unfortunate circumstance, it is a lifestyle and a natural outcome of the pure and good intentions that are real from within. Everyday from sunrise to sundown. The person who lives somewhere in the mountains of Nepal who lives genuinely and truthfully among his family and village folks, is not any less kind than those volunteers giving their time and effort to disaster victims. It is in the daily, mundane, and routine activities that a person's character shines and is tested, not only in response to threat or miserable situations. After the hype of fund raising and gift giving, who are you as a person when you cross the street, when you drive, when you're at work, when you see an old person fall, when there is no great earthquake that shakes the world around you?

I am tired of the status updates of everybody including myself. I think it's time to take a break from social media, and focus on what is around us, reflect on what is inside of us, and build on the truth that makes us who we really are. Everybody talks and likes to talk about other people's comments on their feeds. Everybody is busy uploading photos, sharing links, and liking other posts. But at the end of the day, have you really touched somebody else's life? Have you really been true to everyone, and live your best authentic self?

I know this is all entertainment, but let us not get distracted and hypnotized by the fake and airfilled value of VIRTUAL REALITY. Kindness and authenticity don't need status feeds and sympathy votes. If everybody lives truthfully, the world will naturally be a better place to live in, with or without FaceBlah.