We all have them. Those friends on Facebook that only exist in the realm of the internet. If you see them outside of that realm, conversation is short and awkward, however, as soon as you are able to retreat back inside your safe place, you message that person (or they message you) saying how awesome it was to see you, followed by an hour long comment war on their post. Why could that conversation not have taken place in public?
We are in a dark and desperate spot when it comes to needing fellowship. Most just choose to remain on Facebook, in chat rooms and forums, instead of venturing out into the world because, let's face it, we're getting lazy. It takes less effort to talk to people online than it does in person.
I have a couple of friends on my Facebook that I personally do not know. One is the wife of an amazing friend, the other a friend of a very close friend. I finally get to meet my friends wife in December, and I'm terribly excited! She is a very awesome person. The other friend, however, I've never met, but apparently everyone is getting the impression that we're best friends. I find this slightly annoying since I've had maybe two conversations with her and, bless her heart, love her to death, and all that, but I just didn't feel like we would be good friends. If I don't feel like I can hold a decent conversation with you in person, then I'm not going to talk to you through a social medium to make you feel better because you are socially awkward.
There was a time, in the not too distant past, where people went to parks, talked with their neighbors over the grill, had community cookouts... The days of our kids playing with other neighborhood kids is swiftly coming to an end. Instead of going outdoors, our children now get online and play o nvirtual playgrounds.
And we wonder why kids are as disrespectful as they are today. We worry over their obesity and put them on diets and make them exercise at gyms. We wonder why there's such a heavy amount of adhd diagnoses, why there are more and more kids fighting with each other. It all comes back to social interactions.
Teach your kids how to behave in public. Take them to a park, let them run and play outside. Sign them up for Rec sports, where they can be with other kids their own age. Don't let them spend hours gaming. Don't let them spend hours in front of the TV or the computer.
Take a vested interest in your childs life.
Let's get back to a social place. Let's stop hiding behind monitors, fake screen names, fake care and compassion.
Let's stop hiding and start living.
We are in a dark and desperate spot when it comes to needing fellowship. Most just choose to remain on Facebook, in chat rooms and forums, instead of venturing out into the world because, let's face it, we're getting lazy. It takes less effort to talk to people online than it does in person.
I have a couple of friends on my Facebook that I personally do not know. One is the wife of an amazing friend, the other a friend of a very close friend. I finally get to meet my friends wife in December, and I'm terribly excited! She is a very awesome person. The other friend, however, I've never met, but apparently everyone is getting the impression that we're best friends. I find this slightly annoying since I've had maybe two conversations with her and, bless her heart, love her to death, and all that, but I just didn't feel like we would be good friends. If I don't feel like I can hold a decent conversation with you in person, then I'm not going to talk to you through a social medium to make you feel better because you are socially awkward.
There was a time, in the not too distant past, where people went to parks, talked with their neighbors over the grill, had community cookouts... The days of our kids playing with other neighborhood kids is swiftly coming to an end. Instead of going outdoors, our children now get online and play o nvirtual playgrounds.
And we wonder why kids are as disrespectful as they are today. We worry over their obesity and put them on diets and make them exercise at gyms. We wonder why there's such a heavy amount of adhd diagnoses, why there are more and more kids fighting with each other. It all comes back to social interactions.
Teach your kids how to behave in public. Take them to a park, let them run and play outside. Sign them up for Rec sports, where they can be with other kids their own age. Don't let them spend hours gaming. Don't let them spend hours in front of the TV or the computer.
Take a vested interest in your childs life.
Let's get back to a social place. Let's stop hiding behind monitors, fake screen names, fake care and compassion.
Let's stop hiding and start living.
Great post Victoria. You are absolutely correct. One of my favorite things to watch is a family playing together outside, esp. in a park. I love watching fathers play with their little ones and taking a vested interest. I love watching little kids play. It reminds me that this is the way America is supposed to be. This is what America is all about.
ReplyDelete