I will never forget the reason why I set up my first social media account. In 2008, an old friend from high school looked me up on the internet and sent me an email at my TV news job. She wanted to make sure I knew one of our friends had passed away unexpectedly. My friend, Faye, told me she heard the news on Facebook.
Facebook. I had heard of it, but assumed the social media platform was something for teenagers, not 40-somethings like me. With much trepidation, I signed up for an account. I remember being confused and uncertain about how the whole thing worked. Before long, and much to my delight, however, I discovered Facebook was a portal to my hometown, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I quickly connected with friends and family members I had not seen or spoken to in decades. It was wonderful.
Around the time I opened my Facebook account, I had started recreational running. I posted about my journey as a newbie runner, my life as a newlywed and, of course, my beloved dogs – I had three at the time. I read my friends’ posts about their children, grandchildren, pets and hobbies. I felt connected to a world I thought I had left behind when I moved away during my senior year of college. In a matter of months, commenting on each other’s posts evolved into regular phone calls and, ultimately, to a reunion with my classmates.
“we are all a little different. It’s what makes us human. Shouldn’t our humanity come first?”
Unfortunately, what was once a bright spot in my life is shrouded in darkness these days. My news feed is filled with political warfare. Every day, I see people who have had lifelong friendships become enemies over political discussions that evolved into personal attacks.
I have a long-held belief that you never discuss politics or religion with strangers, and you tread lightly with friends and family. I have never brought up politics at the Thanksgiving dinner table, because I know how quickly that will escalate into a full-blown riot between my family members on both sides of the aisle.
Some might say I am naïve, or even a bit shallow to suggest we don’t discuss something as critical to our futures as politics; but I don’t think I am either of the above. It would be fine if we could accept that others often feel as passionately about their beliefs as we do.
Beliefs are something that come to us through our life experiences. No two lives are the same, so, ultimately, no two people are completely on the same page about everything. At the end of the day, we are all a little different. It’s what makes us human. Shouldn’t our humanity come first?
I don’t have the answers. I have no idea how to fix this; but I think I can start by being the change I want to see in the world. I am bringing back cute pet posts. I am bringing back posts about songs we all used to skate to at Skate World on Friday nights. I want it to be cool again to cheer for others’ successes and show compassion when they need it the most. These people who comment on our posts and see them are called “friends.” I don’t want to forget what a friend is – someone who loves beyond differences – no matter what they are.
