What We Don't See
So much of our lives are lived online. Social media has made it possible for us to see everything and nothing. It has allowed us to both encourage and hurt one another. It has given permission for people to be ugly to those they know. It has given strangers the ability to ease pain.
Have you noticed there are assumptions and judgments made that are completely wrong? Living out loud in the world does not mean there is not silenced pain that is left hidden.
Quickly our cyberspace world has turned us into self-serving, know-it-all, do-it-my-way-or-hit-the-highway people. Where has the village gone? What has happened to being a good neighbor?
Before going further, I do want to acknowledge that some of our social media outlets have become inlets. Our interests are let in. Pages and pages of information are available. We have formed online clubs, and made dear online friends. Relatives living near and far are staying in touch.
But is it also making it possible to be out of touch?
The reality of what happens when the screen goes dark, and what we don't see are the reality of what is.
For the most part, would you agree that people don't enjoy confrontation? In person, we are more cautious of our words and actions. Body language and seeing reaction to our words has much to do with communication. This doesn't mean face to face communication is all good. Some of it is downright ugly. I like to believe that for the most part, when we are looking one another in the eyes, we choose our words more carefully.
Why are we texting the person downstairs instead of knocking on the door and working it out? Why are we apologizing to those we hurt by sending them a message? And why do we hear more from our president on Twitter than on the radio?
Hey, I'm guilty, too!
We want it now, we want it our way, and we want to be heard.
Today, from this social media outlet where I am reaching out to you, I want to encourage you to listen. Listen with cyber ears, and remember that what we don't see--pain, personal issues, divorce, death, trouble with children, illness, etc....may be contributing to what we DO see.
What if we treat our social media presence with as much respect as we would if we were reaching out to that person face to face? What if we were kind? What if we asked instead of told?
We don't really see what is going on behind closed doors. We shouldn't assume the worst about a situation or someone, and we shouldn't attack because we don't get our way. We are giving cyberspace our power and too often allowing it to alter our relationships and how we react.
It is a wonderful thing, but let's use it wisely, kindly, cautiously. We shouldn't have to plan "pay it forward" or "national kindness" days. These are what we should do and be every day.
Not everyone shares their deep things online. Not everyone shares their deep things in person. Sometimes those deep things are causing grief that no one sees, but the joy they experience in social media may be the one light in their day. We've gotten careless, some of us, with respecting one another. Let's try to remember that what we don't see is more important than what we see.
Have you noticed there are assumptions and judgments made that are completely wrong? Living out loud in the world does not mean there is not silenced pain that is left hidden.
Quickly our cyberspace world has turned us into self-serving, know-it-all, do-it-my-way-or-hit-the-highway people. Where has the village gone? What has happened to being a good neighbor?
Before going further, I do want to acknowledge that some of our social media outlets have become inlets. Our interests are let in. Pages and pages of information are available. We have formed online clubs, and made dear online friends. Relatives living near and far are staying in touch.
But is it also making it possible to be out of touch?
The reality of what happens when the screen goes dark, and what we don't see are the reality of what is.
For the most part, would you agree that people don't enjoy confrontation? In person, we are more cautious of our words and actions. Body language and seeing reaction to our words has much to do with communication. This doesn't mean face to face communication is all good. Some of it is downright ugly. I like to believe that for the most part, when we are looking one another in the eyes, we choose our words more carefully.
Why are we texting the person downstairs instead of knocking on the door and working it out? Why are we apologizing to those we hurt by sending them a message? And why do we hear more from our president on Twitter than on the radio?
Hey, I'm guilty, too!
We want it now, we want it our way, and we want to be heard.
Today, from this social media outlet where I am reaching out to you, I want to encourage you to listen. Listen with cyber ears, and remember that what we don't see--pain, personal issues, divorce, death, trouble with children, illness, etc....may be contributing to what we DO see.
What if we treat our social media presence with as much respect as we would if we were reaching out to that person face to face? What if we were kind? What if we asked instead of told?
We don't really see what is going on behind closed doors. We shouldn't assume the worst about a situation or someone, and we shouldn't attack because we don't get our way. We are giving cyberspace our power and too often allowing it to alter our relationships and how we react.
It is a wonderful thing, but let's use it wisely, kindly, cautiously. We shouldn't have to plan "pay it forward" or "national kindness" days. These are what we should do and be every day.
Not everyone shares their deep things online. Not everyone shares their deep things in person. Sometimes those deep things are causing grief that no one sees, but the joy they experience in social media may be the one light in their day. We've gotten careless, some of us, with respecting one another. Let's try to remember that what we don't see is more important than what we see.
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