I Don't Care

I love not caring about what's happening on Facebook. I used to care SO MUCH! On Facebook, every stupid thing is an issue to be discussed and debated. We have to examine the social ramifications of every minute event that takes place around the world and share our opinions about it with everyone. When did we all starting using up so much of our energy caring about EVERYTHING! We care about everything!
Don't get me wrong - caring about stuff is good and right, but I believe that it is impossible to care about every little thing without your compassion loosing some of its integrity. Do you care about world hunger? Good - what can you do about it? Do you care about social injustice? Fine - find out how you can combat it. Do you think last Saturday's SNL was not that funny and maybe offensive, but you'd like to get the opinions of all your friends and debate the topic with the entirety of the web to confirm your suspicions? Good freakin' grief...there has got to be something more constructive you can be doing. Should the entire world care that Kim Kardashian took another scandalous picture? No. Do we all need to feel the need to tell everyone the results of the "What Kind of Potato" quiz? Holy cow...NO!
The thing is any one of these expressions on their own is not a big deal, but it's become a mass sharing of trivial opinions that has turned into a loud game of "No, listen to what I think! My opinion matters! You should all care about what I think!"

I can't. I can't care about what everyone thinks about everything thing - little or big - that is happening in the world. I've tried, and it's exhausting. It drains the joy right out of me. And what is ironic is so much what what people share regarding current events is generally grounded in compassion - misplaced or not - and yet, after a day spent processing all of those debates and opinions and comments, my heart is heavy with a feeling that this world is a dark and cruel place in which to exist. By constantly sharing all our thoughts about our lives and the world around us, we are essentially killing the world with kindness. In my opinion.

If A Tree Falls

I deactivated my Facebook account two days ago. It's nice in a lot of ways not to have it, but I've become incredibly aware of how intertwined it is in my thoughts and actions since letting it go. I'm not going to say that everyone has allowed social media to be as tangled up in their lives as I have, but I don't think I'm the exception either. In a way it makes me think of the saying, "If a tree falls in the forest and makes no sound, did it really fall?"
I catch myself frequently throughout the day composing status posts in my head based on my current activity or thought process. I consider taking pictures of somewhat mundane things so I can post them with a witty caption. It seems that I can't do or think anything without automatically intending to share it on Facebook.
My observation is this: I have allowed Facebook to validate all my experiences. If I can't think something or do something without needing to share it on Facebook, then I have allowed Facebook to seep into that thought or experience in a way that requires it in order for fulfillment. I have given away the full experience and thought process - robbed myself of my own life by allowing Facebook constant input.
In conclusion: If an experience happens and it's not shared on Facebook, did it really happen?

Yes. Yes, it did.