The whole problem with social media is in getting caught up in the emotional wave it may create. The issue being, there is really no release from that. Unlike the real world I can't just punch you in the face. Yes, that's the release we all seek, at least metaphorical speaking. It is like that meme I see occasionally about the old days. When we had a telephone that we could slam down to let the other person know our feelings, it was a slap in the face. You just can't get that satisfaction on social media. It is just too impersonal, even when it becomes personal. Blocking someone just isn't the same as tackling them! You don't get the same feeling.
I'm prone to getting caught up in all of that, it's a part of my personality. I do have a compulsion to offer my opinions, thoughts, and advice to the conversation. I can get caught up easily if I'm not careful. It has happened a few times. Then, once caught up in the emotion I go past that point, the point where there is no return. I said what I said, I meant what I said, and I'm not changing what I said because it upset you. Had I not allowed my emotions to get the better of me I wouldn't have said that, that may be true, but it doesn't change the truth of what I said. If I restricted myself to only saying what was necessary I would be silent 90% of the time. But, I'm not like that. No, I have a tendency to speak my mind.
I do not ride that wave of emotion for very long however. I'm not one to join a cult or protest, get involved with any of that. I view myself as one that just drops little truth bombs here and there and keep on walking. I'm not interested in viewing whatever carnage or damage I may created. Not interested in having anyone return to apologize to me, to pander to me. You can send me money though, I'll accept cash any time. What I'm trying to say is I just don't seem to have that same passion for social justice that so many claim to have today. For me, most social issues just come and go and have very little effect on my life. I'm just a very small cog in a very large world. I accept that, I'm good with that.
I hear a lot about people being on their journey these days. It's the new catch phrase of the decade. It is used as a tool to elicit sympathy, that's my view of that. Usually heard in the context of some life situation the person has faced like financial loss, a medical issue or some other negative thing. Then they have triumphed on their journey! They overcame some obstacle. Yeah, we all do that, it's called life. Don't get caught up in the emotion of that is my advice. I have written, on several occasions, that emotions are great motivators but seldom good guides. I stand by that observation. Emotions get us into more trouble, more precarious situations than anything else. It's emotions that get you smacked in the face!
That is the struggle of mankind, the controlling of emotions. We have tried, and continue to try, to create some device, some method or system to do just that. Religion and the law share equal billing in that endeavor. Those are the tools we apply. Science and the scientific method are also tools being employed, especially today. Emotional stability, what we call mental health these days, is the control of your emotional responses. We medicate that today and have been doing so for quite some time. In fact in 1963 Valium made its' first appearance and we have been actively medicating our emotions ever since. Yes, prior to that it was alcohol and some other drugs. The problem with them being a tendency for folks to get addicted to them. That's why a new drug was needed, The miracle of science provided valium. Our emotions are under control.
It's an emotional rollercoaster this thing we call life. That's the journey you will be on whether you like roller coasters or not. Personally I do not enjoy them. There's just something about riding in a cart, at high speed without the ability to either steer or put on the brakes, designed to twist and turn, sometimes inverted, that tests my confidence in the engineers that designed it. I have ridden them, giving in to peer pressure, an emotional response, and can definitively say, I didn't enjoy it! I'll be avoiding them on my journey from now on having gained control over that emotional response. Social media is a rollercoaster. I find myself standing in line and I question why. Like a moth to the flame I can't seem to resist. It's an emotional thing. Well, I'm on my journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment