I have been living the same social life you have been living........mostly online.
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram...
It's easy, fun (most of the time) and a good way to stay in touch with those far away.
It still amazes me that I have meaningful conversations with folks I haven't seen in person
in 10 years. Of course, it also has it's social drawbacks with politics and religion and worst of
all, "Belief", but all in all it has been a good experience and I find more and more ways to have fun again on social media. Someone mentioned the other day that before social media, people didn't share their every thought with the world, so you really only knew what you had in common with the person. I agree, I definitely do not share my every waking thought with social media, I don't want people to know everything about me, but some people do like to share it all.
I am a firm believer that if you share something that is personal, like a belief, someone is likely to oppose your view, and because you have shared it on "Social Media", then they will tell you what they think. I am not sure why that makes people angry, it seems to me thats exactly what "Social Media" is made for. I know if I share something political or religious or a hot topic, I am probably going to get some nay-sayers and I am ready to converse and argue my point. I certainly don't get mad when the oppose me, that seems silly. There is an easy fix for that, don't share!
Just keep it to yourself and you can sidestep the entire painful process.
I have also tried very hard to be open minded. When someone shares a view that I do not agree with,
I try to understand.....I may not always do my best, but I try. I wish we could all try a little harder.
My first thought is that this person is an idiot and obviously has no idea what they're talking about.....
but then I realize I am wrong. Of course they're not an idiot, thats another human being. They're must be a reason why they feel this way. So I try to understand where they're coming from and look at things from their perspective. This works 75% of the time, which is a pretty good percentage. There are some that are just sharing really dumb, false information to be inflammatory, so I don't even bother. I have come to understand that in the end, we are all just people. The color of our skin is just that....a different color. The religion we grew up with is just the religion we grew up with. Our political affiliation is probably very much about where we were born and who told us what to believe when we were young. If I had been born in Syria, I would probably be a Muslim. Not even by choice, just by birth lottery. I was born white in south Saint Louis in 1970 to an Irish woman and a Sicilian man......guess what? I was raised Catholic. Thats just how they do it there.
I was also raised Democrat. My father was a union employee all of his life and I remember many times, when I was young, he was on strike and standing in the picket line all day, all week, for months. All of this conditioning makes up who I am. I did not choose these beliefs, they were given to me. Over the years as an adult I made my own choices, but over time I settled on keeping some from my upbringing and some I chose on my own, and I am still openminded enough to make new choices. When it comes to disagreeing with folks over religion, politics, belief, gun control, abortion.....I try and use the spiritual principles. They never do me wrong. The person I am at odds with is not a "Bad Guy", he is a person just like me. He has his own upbringing and experiences and they are just as valid as my own. I am not better than, or less than, I am equal to.
When I follow the spiritual principles, it all works out. When I think something "non-spiritual" about a person, I pray for them. That will usually help. When I look for a common ground, I begin to see them as human beings again and I become compassionate. That is true consideration.
I always remember that this other person is a child of the Universe and has a right to be here.
Some folks say life would be better off without social media, it was easier before this all swept into our lives......but I think that is wrong. Maybe it seems like we are arguing and bickering more, but in the end we are talking to each other and sharing our very deepest thoughts and concerns. Talking is never a bad thing, neither is sharing. It is better that we talk about it and hash it out, than stew in it and become violent. I see a lot of people fighting online, but I also see a lot of people coming to a conclusion and agreeing on something or just agreeing to disagree, that is progress.
America is the great melting pot. We have all races, creeds, religions. It is a "Live and Let Live" world we have made, so we need to stand by our brothers and sisters and offer them consideration.
Just because we believe differently, does not mean we are different, we are very much the same.
Peace, Love...Zito
