To be honest I was still on social media but I had created an alter-ego with very few friends or family and I seldom engaged in much of anything going on across the internet. So for the most part I was off the radar, or as some would say, I was in stealth mode. I eventually reverted back to my actual name and was overjoyed to find I was able to reconnect with many of my old friends. The reason I left social media was the same reason many other people have left – constant bitterness, anger, pettiness and bullying. Now I pretty much attributed that to the elections but when I resurfaced I found all those same negative attributes to still be flowing in abundance.
So clearly there are a lot of unhappy people in the world. I get that. Faith in our government and our society has dropped to an all time low. It seems most every day we hear of another pillar in our society come crumbling down in the midst of some scandal. Throughout the 2016 elections as well as the years that followed, the pure hate that was and is prevalent throughout social media points to a realization that people have lost their joy in life. Perhaps it’s hate mongering by the media or perhaps its constantly seeing good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people. After all this consternation it finally occurred to me that WE are still expecting our happiness to be provided to us by something or someone. I think we need to be honest and accept the fact that we’ve been conditioned to expect our happiness to be provided by our elected officials and community leaders. Folks, this isn’t a rant over party affiliations, political or social dispositions or playing the blame game. This is an appeal to our humanity.
As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” The preponderance of posts on social media is negative in nature. I guess I don’t understand. Are those folks who constantly spew hatred and rage really of the mind that the more angrier they are on social media the better our world will ultimately become? Gotta tell ya, I know I wasn’t all that great at math but this really doesn’t add up. I suppose someone might look at me and say, ”This guy has his head in the clouds. Another religious fanatic.” Oh well, not much I can say or do about that except to plow through with my convictions that it is better for me, for you, for our country and for God that I devote myself to being a more loving, generous and compassionate person. I know we all get angry at times and I’m one of the biggest offenders. But consider this, our thoughts lead to feelings and our feelings lead to action. I can’t help but feel that if our actions are motivated by anger then we’re likely to produce negative results. But if our actions are motivated by a loving heart, the results will most likely be a positive one that lifts up rather than tears down. Remember, each day is a new day to do things better. Each day is a new day to feel blessed and fortunate to have another chance to be something positive in someone’s life. Each day is a new day to choose to see the beauty within the muck and mire.
Folks, I do get it. There’s a lot of crap going on in our communities, our country and throughout the world. I can’t really control much of any of that. But I do have some say in how I approach each day and I do have choices that no person or government can overcome. For me, for now, through God’s good graces, I choose to try to be a good person. I choose to put my heart towards those who are struggling to find joy in the midst of circumstances that have knocked them down.
Join me, won’t you?
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