Now, to be clear, my problem is not with the word, or the people who use it/do it, but with the attitude behind it. I have the same problem with Twitter, and Instagram. The idea that people need to know (implied: want to know) what we are doing all the time, and see us doing it is such an over share of information!
Incessant picture taking is kinda my thing, I love to take pictures to remember who I was with and what I did and I even like sharing those pictures on places like Facebook! But unlike this guy...I am completely aware of my surroundings when I do it.
Listening to his iPod and trying to take a pouty, emo, photo to show off his "coolness" he almost ends up with a hole in his head from a passing train!
It seems that we, as a society (and I am not excluding myself here), are so concerned with what others think of us, that we have to prove something....even when we are all alone. I have no idea why, or when, we became so self conscious and desperate for outside validation but here we are, mired in this destructive cycle.
You can't imagine how shocked I was to find that not only is the general populace afflicted with this need for reassurance, but so is our supposed commander in chief and VP, Obama and Biden! Now, Obama has been taking selfies since he plugged in to social networking, this is not new news but now, it is showing up on my FB timeline as if it is something to be proud of and bragged about. That we have the "cool" president.
When my cousin joined the police academy he mentioned something sort of in passing and it has stuck with me (forgive me Brad, I will have to paraphrase because I don't remember your exact words...and if I get it wrong, blame me!), he said: If you end up on tv, as a cop, in an unnecessary gunfight or giving interviews and being a personality...you aren't doing your job properly. The job is protection, not fame.
I can't help but think that we have lost his sense of clarity and purpose, especially in the leadership and people of this country. If our concern is for how others perceive our actions, instead of the real ramifications of said actions, then we are doing it wrong.
We have lost the plot of leading lives that we can be proud of.
I never really understood the question "What do you want to do with your life?". I realize now that I never really heard the question. I wanted to grow up and have friends, be liked, and have a family. I wanted to be in the medical field, and be successful, but not rich. I got asked that question a lot, and never really realized that people weren't asking how I wanted to be thought of, they were asking what I wanted to produce, what footprints I wanted to leave in life, how I wanted to live!
Now when I think of that question I love it; it's a challenge to me. It's reminding me that my actions have reactions and cause events in other people's lives...good and bad. It reminds me that people will think whatever they want to, and that doesn't change my goals, for my life. I don't want to be famous, I want to live a life that spreads blessings, big and little.
There should be a periodic gut check to everyone on the globe to make sure we are not letting other people make our decisions for us. That we are living honorable, productive, purposeful lives, geared toward bettering ourselves and those around us. Undisturbed...as much as possible...by deceit, shortcuts, social fronts, false or shallow reinforcements (Not to say that people don't need reinforcement, they just need it from people who actually care), and self aggrandizement.
Let's re-learn modesty, persistence, grace, and honesty, so that we can stop seeking outside affirmations...and taking selfies.
...Nature girl
No comments:
Post a Comment