The TRUTH about FACEBOOK

I have decided that Facebook can be a fantastic means of communication or it can be your worse nightmare, I have been dealing with support groups and church groups and my own family and friends for as long as I can remember. I love to talk about the things that matter to me.I love to discuss my love for God, my love for my family, and my determination to win my physical battles. I scan Facebook some days to touch base with my siblings and my friends and see what is going on in their lives. I am so lucky!! The majority of my people always post something uplifting or they need to be uplifted. on a rare occasion I may encounter what I call A DANGEROUS Invitation, This is a post that basically test the waters of everyone they know. It is a post that calls on a reaction of some sort. It is a post that you either pause before you decide not to answer or you answer before you even think about it. Post involving someone's relationship can fall into this category. Post about race or discrimination can also be dangerous. A post with regard to sexual orientation can spark a forest fire on your Facebook page as well,

I had a discussion with a group of young kids one day at the youth camp at our church. I asked them what they love about Facebook. I heard it all! I heard that some like to read about their favorite entertainers. Others loved keeping in touch with out of town family. two boys admitted to using Facebook to stalk girls that they like. There was one girl around 14 or 15 that didn't answer. I was intrigued by that. So when the other kids were going outside I pulled her to the side, I asked her if she used Facebook. She answered me very carefully as if she were afraid that her answer would have a negative consequence. She said, "I use too," then she sat down. "I use to get on there everyday and talk to my friends and make plans and stuff." I realized that I may have to pull teeth to get to the bottom of this. I could tell she wanted to talk about it and I wanted to hear about it. "What happened?" I asked her. "Well I fell out with a friend and two hundred of my six hundred friends unfriended me or started to bully me." I was not shocked, I kind of thought something like this had happened.

I would never say that we have a responsibility to the world on Facebook to say certain things. I actually feel like it is your page and you should be able to express yourself. As long as Facebook is okay with it.My issue is more or less involving responsibility to the people we care about. I am going to assume that most middle aged people are friends with people on Facebook that they actually know. So that means they know you and they know what to expect, I feel like adults are smart enough to understand that somebody really may read their post. A post that tells how you and your spouse are not getting along.....AN AN! Wrong answer, you should never do that. A post saying you have won the lottery, AN AN, nope not until it has been counted and stored away.There are some people on Facebook that you may never read an uplifting or positive post from, but if they are your friend you probably get that.and are cool with it.

So where does the responsibility come in? Look at it this way. Your Facebook page is your canvas. you can support, cheer, promote, all the things that matter to you on your page. If you are having a bad day you can vent about it and feel supported. The people I love know they won't see a post from me about anything that i couldn't say comfortably at the dinner table. Am I always upbeat,...No. Am I always happy,...No. but I am always mindful that other people will read what I write. I factor that in with everyday life and all that can possibly happen in  day to all of us. Sometimes I just post what is in my heart. I am not perfect, I am not saying anyone should be either.

Thanks to Facebook we have a way to express our passions and our causes and our political views to anyone that is interested! That is a Wonderful thing. If used correctly we could all help to make the world a better place, one post at a time!

The truth about Facebook is it can be a tool to educate, minister, discuss, support anything that matters to us. It is as if you have your own station to broadcast your news. Words are powerful!! Facebook post have been known to save lives or cause the taking of lives so to speak, But what it can not do nor will it ever take the place of the much needed and desired human connection. So I say we feed that connection via our Facebook pages. I say we continue to express ourselves on our pages. I say we think before we post just to be on the safe side, Because once it is out there, it is over, you can't take it back.. So no I am not giving a critique of what anyone else post. I am not judging other's statuses. I am saying Facebook is in tune to just about every facet of our lives. Those of us who have the ability or passion to inspire and to relate to others, need to use Facebook to our advantage. Try to say something nice or uplifting sometimes.Because the truth is for some it is their only way to communicate, be heard, speak out, or even just to hear you.

Blessings