Facebook Dilemnas

Jump to Comments

  It’s the question everyone is asking; the new definer of your  social status…”Do you have a “Facebook” account?”  It seems everyone is getting into the social network sites.  A couple of years ago, while a youth minister, I asked my teens about getting an account.  They said it would be all right, but they rolled their eyes in that classic manner that let me know I was invading sacred adolescent territory.  I was way too old.  Now my grandmother has a site.

  The sites really do keep people connected in way unavailable before.  I now have daily updates from friends in distant places we have lived, friends from High School, and all kinds of people with whom I had and would have lost contact with before.  There are also interesting insights from some of the lists being passed around.  I liked the “25 random things about me” list… though it was out of date before I could get 25 together.  The big thing now is “My Top Five.”  So far I have confessed to my top 5 cartoons, sports teams, and my first five cars.  It was tough admitting, even to myself, I had driven an AMC Matador and a Chevy Citation… not exactly “Mr. Cool.”  I am hoping in the future I have answers for “My 5 Favorite Things to Do in Cabos San Lucas,” “My 5 Favorite Coastal Seafood Places,” “5 Favorite Private Beach Resorts” and “5 Favorite Plays in Oklahoma’s National Championship Defeat of Florida”

  My dilemnas, however, are much more common Facebook applications.  No, even though it says so, I do not believe I am really among the 1000’s evidentally related to President Obama, and I am not intimidated by any of you all who are challenging my IQ.  It’s this “Nicest Person on Facebook” contest.  The one where everybody votes and you can check on how you are doing compared to others.  There are so many ethical questions.  Is it right to accept those votes?  Is this something for which you should campaign; try to win?  Is it right for me to accept those votes when I know me… and I know I am not the nicest person on Facebook.  It would be great… but I know better.  Yet, all that said, there is a part of my ego that likes to see those notifications pop up.  There is a part of me that feels better about myself because someone used one of their votes on me and I am making my way toward the leader board.  I haven’t noticed whether people could vote for themselves… that would be the kicker.

  The other dilemna concerns an advertisement I saw in the left column.  I don’t worry about those Facebook advertisements; I doubt I’ll ever follow one.  However, one I saw was tempting: “Find out who has entered your name into a search engine!”  That’s intriguing… but do I really want to know?  Should I want to know?  Evidently “Danny Holman” was a main character in a novel some years ago, (okay, I confess, I googled my own name), so that would elevate the number of searches… heh, it might surprise me.  Maybe its what my self esteem needs… or doesn’t need.  On the other hand, could it be more “self absorbtion” than anyone needs.  This back and forth in my soul… interesting.  Or is it disturbing?

  In the end, I am sure the site promising to be my own google search private detective agency is going to want money, and that will be the end of that.  I do wonder, however, what such service would do to my psyche, and why?.  For, regardless of who is searching for me online, my real worth has a much stronger foundation.  The God who created the universe knows me by name, and will one day call me by name.  He gave His life to open the way to me knowing Him.  He says, “Mothers can forget their children, but I will never forget you; See, I have carved you on the palms of my hands.”  Every day I can look in the mirror and note, “God says you are worth dying for… and God knows everything.”

  Just today I opened up WordPress and started perusing my way through the religion category just to see what folks had written about.  Seldom do I stop to open one, but today I had to.  There was a blogsite there that jumped out at me.  Though I read every post immediately, I had never seen it on WordPress’s list before.  The site is “Neil’s Diamonds.”  It has great reflections, but even if it were internet scribble I would open it immediately.  The same is true of his sister’s blog… because they are my children.  In my world that is all the value they need.  To know God looks down and sees us in the midst of the universe and calls us His own… that’s all the value any of us needs.

1 Comment

Filed under God, Jesus, family, self worth