Is it possible to become so ‘connected’ that you forget who you are?
By that I don’t mean that you shut off the computer one night and can’t remember your name or how you ended up in whatever room you’re in. I’m referring to the priorities and beliefs that make us both who we are and what we represent. Do the things you say (write, type, text, etc.) reflect the truth of who you are?
At what point does the person you are now keep you from becoming the person you wish you could be?
Before this comes across as a rant, let me just say that I don’t write to point fingers or pass judgment. There’s enough of that available in other places and I don’t welcome it here. I believe people should be treated with dignity and given the chance to earn respect. At least, that’s the kind of man I want to be.
Admittedly, in my own life I’m a guarded person. I’m not an expert when it comes to making small talk or meeting new people. As a novelist, having to be clever in 140 characters or less can be mind-bending. On more than one occasion, I’ve given many a cricket the chance to chirp.
I tend to put more time into thinking about what I want to write in an update than I actually spend on typing said update. It isn’t because I’m a perfectionist; I don’t believe in perfection in this life. I’ve simply come to believe that on some level we’re all an example to someone else. If we, or I, make the claim than it has to be substantiated in actions, motives and decisions.
Because this is all temporary…
I can’t be one of those people who goes against their morality or settles in order to be popular. When I was younger, sure, maybe; but not anymore, thank you very much. What’s more, I don’t believe that’s what God would want from me. That might be lame to some people but I still believe one day I’ll be held accountable for these choices I’ve made and, ultimately, will make.
That’s what I’m trying to live up to. How about you?
{ 3 comments }
Great questions, Jason! And we really have a double challenge: being “true” to ourselves, instead of trying to keep up with the insurmountable pace of social media, and then measuring ourselves by the standard of truth (since what good is being true to yourself, if you are wrong?). When you said “I’m not an expert when it comes to making small talk or meeting new people….On more than one occasion, I’ve given many a cricket the chance to chirp.” – I completely understand! I’m much more prone to be at ease and extroverted around close friends. I *can* be that way with some effort around strangers, but it’s not my default, and I typically only go there because I want to hear about others’ lives and learn more about them. But I’ve noticed that the older I get, the more “crickets I hearing chirping”, and I care less about that than ever before.
So glad to see another post from you, btw!
Thanks for your feedback, Jim. As for the crickets, I think it isn’t that I care less as much as that I no longer try as hard to figure out what others want or expect from me (if anything). It’s also part of the reason why I work so hard to not have negative people in my life. It’s too counter-productive & time-consuming and takes away, dearly at times, from what matters the most.
Hooray for the blog subscription option!!!!!
Comments on this entry are closed.