Monday, October 17, 2011

Life beyond 140-characters

Twitter. Facebook. Tumbler. Blogger. Pinterest. Whatever else there is out there. Lives on the internet, for anyone to see ... see how interesting we are, how smart we are, how witty ... oh, and how pretty. Gag. Okay, but seriously, it is pretty sickening. And sad. A generation so full of itself and simultaneously, so empty.

If my 15 year-old self could have seen the future, she would be most shocked by the grown-ups.  Shocked in seeing women and men spend hours of their day writing senselessly on the internet about themselves? She would wonder if some major catastrophe occurred.  Why does so much of what comprises "life" consist of a screen, keyboard, touchpad?  She would be disappointed in this generation of grown-ups, in its lack of regard for others.  How easy it is to ridicule former/current friends, bosses, clients, presidents, etc....  How easy it is to sit behind a plastic screen and type in words they would never dare say to the person's face.  Land of the vile, home of the cowardly.  That's exactly what the 15 year-old in me would think.

But thankfully, she grew up.  She stopped thinking so concretely.  And through various people, interactions and experiences, she was able to see the world wasn't all horrible.  In the midst of the clutter, still anchored in adolescent ideology, she made her own future.   A future in which love, kindness, and hope are regular visitors.  She sees it in the children's faces.  So innocent and so unmarred by the knowledge that comes with age.