Social Media!

Ahh! Social Media!  You either love it or you hate it!  I don't know a lot about all of them, but Facebook is one of my favorites.   I have also been able to write this blog which is very important to me.  It has given me a sense of purpose for the life I have lived and survived.  I am always hoping that it inspires someone and shows others that are going through similar situations that there is hope.  It is also very healing.  There are still many situations that I have not talked about or blogged about because the wounds are still too deep.

 Me, I love Facebook!  Or at least most of the time I love Facebook.  I know, I know, there are so many people who do not share my enthusiasm for it.  For me, Facebook  has allowed me to reconnect with my wonderful girlfriends from the 70's! These girls were my BFF's before that term was a thought in someone's head!  I lost contact with them sometime in the very late 70's and because of marriage and children and careers and, well, life, we all just became too busy and lost touch with each other.  It wasn't until I was separated from my now x-husband 3 years ago that I started searching for them on Facebook.  It has taken some time, but I'm happy to say most of us are in contact with each other!  Yea!!!!  I sooo missed them in my life.

Social Media also allows us to see what's going on in the lives of friends and family.  It's often

inconvenient  and time consuming for someone to call everyone they know to tell them of life events that are taking place.  Facebook revolutionized the "phone tree"  No longer do we have to call and call and call to get information passed around.  That said, there are times that Facebook is used as a whipping post to chastise someone.  I don't like it when that happens.  First of all the person posting is only giving one side of the issue, theirs.  There is no way for the "chastizee" to vindicate themselves.  There is not a way to respond without causing more harm to themselves and more unkind comments from people who don't' have the complete story but still think they need to post a comment.

Social Media has it's place in our lives, for sure.  The problem is that there are moral issues people should consider when reading and responding to what someone posts.  When I read a post, especially one that is emotionally charged, I don't respond.  I understand the person who wrote it may be hurting, or angry, or sad.  I also realize that I do not have all the facts.  If I want to respond, I do it by private message or phone.  Personal opinions are just that, personal.  They rarely reflect the complete picture and should not be put on social media for other people to respond with uninformed comments.

What I hope all of you consider the next time someone uses social media to air their private issues on, is that you take a deep breath, take a few minutes, and consider what you are about to respond to.  If you don't have all the facts, then what you are responding to is gossip. It's half truths.  No one can defend themselves against gossip.  I don't think anyone would want themselves put in that position.

Social media is here to stay and I love it.  It also comes with a responsibility to be kind and use common sense.

My name is Gossip.
I have no respect for justice. 
I maim without killing. 
I break hearts and ruin lives. 
I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age.

The more I am quoted the more I am believed. 
I flourish at every level of society. 
My victims are helpless. 
They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face.

To track me down is impossible. 
The harder you try, the more elusive I become.
I am nobody's friend. 
Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same. 
I topple governments and ruin marriages. 
I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartache and indigestion. 
I spawn suspicion and generate grief.

I make innocent people cry in their pillows. 
Even my name hisses.

I AM CALLED GOSSIP.

author unknown

I LoVe ALL Of YoU!