Wednesday, April 18, 2012

The Curse of Facebook

How do I say this?

Facebook is the devil. A brilliant, evil, time sucking devil. That I love, dearly. It's one of my favorite ways to waste time: I love seeing all the people I've ever met ever in the history of the world, lined up in small clips so that I can easily stalk their existence, breaking our relationship down in small, single sentence quips that belie the true tempestuous nature of relationships. I love the stupid social games that force me to beg copper pipes off friends and family, although I do try to be considerate of those that don't play.

I do wonder, though, how HEALTHY all of it is. One of the natural functions of relationships is the ending. It's an important part, although painful. People NEED to outgrow each other and move on. When I was young, I saw it as a personal rejection, as everyone from high school went to their separate states and separate worlds, and I was went from being surrounded constantly by a gaggle of giggling girls to living alone in a small apartment, it was crushing. Facebook wasn't around then (yes, I'm that old) and myspace was a year or two in the future. I clung to the few people I knew locally with borderline psychotic terror.

Fast forward *ahem* SOME years. A lot of years. Man, they go by so incredibly fast. A high school acquaintance that I barely knew when I went to school back in the stone ages has passed on. I'm in real mourning. I knew she was sick, although she kept that incredible attitude most days that only the truly ill can seem to. Not like when I stub my toe and curse the pain and carry on like a whiny little girl. Strong.

I grew to like her more than I even knew her in high school. I often read what she wrote with greedy eyes, along with everyone else in my "timeline", this girl who I can't remember if I even spoke to during the hectic time of high school. Rest in peace, Mary. I hope your husband finds some comfort.

All of this sadness this morning makes me wonder how wise my relationship with Facebook is. I mean, really. Is it better to follow the natural rhythm of life, which means out growing each other, or is it better to keep all people past in a list that you can constantly check? Can you move past old romances and ancient drama if it's highlighted for you daily in blue and white? Is it better to wonder occasionally what happened to so and so, or to know?

Is facebook a blessing or a curse?




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1 comment:

Mrs. Tuna said...

I try not to get too sucked in. It does help me keep up with siblings who live far away and.........review my daughter's shiny new boyfriends entire facebook background going back to 2009.