40 Days of No Facebook

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.