Last night DHF and I were talking about what it's like to live in America now and neither of us liked it. It seems the American dream is now all but obtainable.
This idea of a little house with a white picket fence has now become the dread of foreclosure. The hope of self sufficiency has been replaced by major credit cards, microwave dinners, and a lack of knowledge of anything that may be useful to living while having an increase in trivial bullshit concerning the media. Family time has been destroyed as we replace knowledge about our relatives likes and dislikes with that of celebrities, and this insane desire for safety and trust has become just that, insane.
When I walk into wal-mart now, I am screamed at by televisions telling me to buy, buy, buy and what aisle I can find this product on. I never really liked wal- mart to begin with but, as they take over our souls, mom and pop stores become harder to find and, when you do, they have been forced to raise their prices so high it becomes too hard on your wallet to support their version of the American dream.
People have become so involved in social media that they have forgotten what it means to be social. It seems we must always have our phones in our hands and Facebook blaring in our face. Even moments when we are out with friends or at the dinner table with our family, people feel the need to plug in and loose themselves in a computer screen that promises false love and comfort. Our self worth is now dependent on the amount of 'likes' to our status updates... It's pathetic.
I also raised the issue of my blog to DHF, asking both him and myself if having it was also part of a technological leash. He basically replied only if I let it. I'm only on my blog once a day if that and only long enough to connect to the world and purge my mind of its busyness. Yes, perhaps the same could be said of Facebook- that using it in small doses is not a problem but I must clarify. My fault is not with Facebook. My fault is how people act on it. My fault is in how I can find the same people on it sun up from sun down constantly updating their statuses and filling their photo albums with pictures of themselves and the insides of their homes because they never leave it anymore. My fault is that I used to be the same way and thinking back on the hours I wasted scrolling up and down statuses irritates me. I could have been doing so much more with my time.
If you still use Facebook, whatever. It's not my place to tell anyone how to live their lives and if it makes you happy then more power to you. However, I find no happiness from it and so I'm quitting it. In my attempt to find my American dream, I am stopping the wasted hours on that site and actually get off my couch and speak to friends of whom now I only see pictures. I will make a better effort to be friends with those I don't hang out with much anymore and become a person not tied down by the constant call of the electronic.
Gandhi asked us to be the change we want to see in the world. I'm starting with Facebook. I'll let you know where else I'm heading as it comes to me. Peace y'all.
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