I gave up Facebook for lent, and I was hoping for some great
revelation. Something along the lines of
“it was great to spend more time with my family.” Or maybe something like “It was a relief to
not have to come up with a witty status update that didn’t involve the
weather.” Sadly my revelation was
simply, “this is so inconvenient.” I did not learn sacrifice or improve my
relationship with God in any way.
I am Board President of the Chicago Chapter of the National
Organization for Women, in order to organize, I use Facebook as a tool
daily. Whether it is for networking or
sharing information. I will admit, I had
to sneak on there quickly to get some stuff done that I couldn’t do without it,
like to share a Facebook event invitation. I tried to come up with creative
ways to do what I needed to do, but in the end Facebook was often the best
tool. I guess the positive is, I am
efficiently using that tool.
During lent, technically a little more than 40 days, my baby
has grown up so much. She has rolled over, crawled, started sitting by herself and started eating baby food. She has grown so fast. I feel like many out of state family and
friends have missed out on seeing this.
The next picture I post (that only friends and family can see) is going
to make them shocked. I missed sharing my pride and joy with people who have known me for so long.
I feel like I have missed what’s trending in the world. I’ve missed that cute youtube video. I’ve missed what the popular song is. I’ve missed the story about heroism or that
tragic disgusting story. Don’t get me
wrong, I still read and watch lots and lots of news, but I miss seeing what
other people think is interesting or worthy of sharing. I missed knowing what
big events are happening in people’s lives.
I know there is so much I have missed out on.
I really missed not being on Facebook during the elections. I missed what people were saying or debating. I missed staying
connected while also trying to run the CNOW PAC. Social media has become a necessary part of
campaigns.
A few days ago, the talented Gabriel Garcia Marquez died. I
missed having people to mourn with.
Marquez was the Latin American author.
He made realism magico popular
and received the Nobel Prize in literature for his work. He painted a picture of Colombia that was
something more than La Violencia
(both the era & the violence). He
was famous for his novel A Hundred Years of Solitude, but one of my all
time favorite novels is Love in a time of Colera. Without Facebook, I wasn’t connected to my
friends who felt the deep sadness of a world without such a gifted writer in
it. I missed sharing that loss and
discussing it.
In conclusion, the benefits and convenience of Facebook out
weigh the distractions of it. I learned that Facebook is now a common part of
my life as email is. I wouldn’t give up
email or my telephone, so I shouldn’t give up Facebook. I just have to remember that everything in
life is ok in moderation.
