Happy New Year!

(Oh and resolving to remedy - at least - my FB addiction.)

Wow! It is good to be back. Some of may you have followed along whilst I indulged myself in a Facebook delirium. It was good. Very convenient! And I hit rock bottom - which is what every addict ever does. Sometimes, the drug insures that the addict conforms. Sometimes, the drug acts like a porter carrying your luggage to the ticket counter or cab. Invariably, the addiction kills the addict.

Literally - all you have to do is fart (type) an idea out of your brain (ass). For doing so, you are rewarded with instant feedback from 10% of all 300 to 1,000 of your friends. Every moment of your life “liked” by 10% of your friends. Each valuing the moment it took you to make utterances such as , “I made corn today from my own garden!” And make it sound exciting {with pictures.}

Think about what Facebook does. Belching and farting ~ albeit thoughts ~ has become the norm. What makes it better is the time warp component. This is the feature which allows your “see you at the organic grocery store, stay groovy” friends to interact with your “I am a rabid Republican 1% friend from high school, but, I always loved you because you were not only Black, but, different, so de facto, I belong in this post-racial America because I am not racist for being your friend. Thanks and smooches!”

Facebook is kind of like being at your own funeral everyday. But, instead of being chunks in a jar, you get to interact, discuss, moderate, and debate! Now, that’s cool!

(Except when the bare bones of text fail to deliver nuance. Suddenly, everyone moves rapidly from discourse and dialog into cyber-slapping and demanding apologies from the slapped for provoking the need to cyber-slap somebody by the slapper. Imagine an IRL (in real life) cocktail party or pot luck at which this occurred. Now, tell me where your eyebrows are on your face? You, dear reader, are welcome to your own opinions. Maybe a good slap is necessary. {Really?} Personally, I have never, ever, ever condoned any one person slapping another. So ~ in my opinion ~ if your eyebrows are not trying to meet your hairline,, I wish you the best of all growth opportunities.)

So, I journeyed all the way to the low place. Yes. I did feed the troll. (In fact, after discussions with my husband, I have been unwittingly feeding this specific troll for over 6 years.) Shock and amazement! Wow! And so, at this point, I just have to giggle. When you make yourself the fool ~ well ~ you giggle. And reflect.

This is part of the addiction. Ephemeral, profound thoughts and ideas jump over the mountain and rufflle your hair. The immediacy of having someone - anyone - acknowledge that you breathe, receive ideas, exist and share - is exhilarating.
Excluded from this deal are the daily people who want breakfast, clean clothes, clean house, clean bodies, accountability, a product, bills paid, mortgage paid, and dinner. Suddenly, 10 % of the 300 to 1,000 others who only want seven words on a newsfeed that they can click “like” becomes an elixir easier to ingest than the daily hard work demanded by those live-in flesh petitioners that circle each day.

But, they circle each day. Because I want them. I need them. I can touch them at any moment. They can look across a room at my face, stand, cross and enfold me in their arms. Because they are witness to this one second which changed my face from serene to concerned. And they are there in that second which is faster than any computer can ever be.

Next Up: I totally admit that I am a toy geek. And in light of all manner of new trendy weird therapy for “learning disabled children,” I just want to offer up a few ideas. Especially about the ways we “learn.” But, yeah, it is winter so it is all about toys. Hopefully come summer, I’ll go on about rocks, logs and Nerf swords.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I love this. When I exited FB for a little over 9 months, I had such very very similar thoughts. Good agenda, this.
Karen James said…
Nice to see you back blogging! I look forward to your toys and learning future!
Big thanks to both of you. It is nice to feel validated about stepping away from something which isn't working.

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