On December 31, 2014 at around 9 p.m. I shut down my Facebook. I just could not take it anymore. It seemed to me that so many on Facebook were just nasty! Often spewing things, I am sure (or at least I would hope), they would never actually say to someone's face however, with the cushion of not having a person to react in person to what they "say" people seem empowered? (and I am not sure that is the word I really want to use) when they are typing on a keyboard.
Needless to say, I do not regret shutting down my Facebook. Though I have been subject to a different kind of nastiness! Some of the "friends" that I had on that particular social media feel it is well within their right to tell me all the reasons why I should come back and most have to do with making life easier for them. Some of the "friends" have fallen completely off the face of the earth where I am concerned although I have an Instagram, a Twitter, a Tumblr, a Pinterest, a Snapchat, a Reddit, a Google+, and even an Ello! (Yes, I know - what is Ello? Right?) Not to mention, I have a smart phone that they can call or text and I am living in the same house I was 17 years ago and my parents are still in the house (with the same phone number) that I grew up in my ENTIRE life. My point? If someone wants to find me or connect with me there are so many ways to do so that having or not having a Facebook should be irrelevant.
Some well meaning friends have informed me that I can block certain people, or choose to continue scrolling and refrain from reading the nastiness but still be "connected" to the friends I truly want to be connected with. Well, all I have to say to that is, I am! I connect with the friends I want to in person and face to face and no pictures or daily posts will ever be better than that! Do I get to "see" them everyday? No, but does reading a persons post on how much they have accomplished in the first hour upon waking this morning, or seeing a picture of the food they are about to eat really connect me to them? I personally do not think so.
Social media has taken away the raised eyebrow, the smirk, the hardy belly laugh. LMAO will never replace actually laughing so hard your crying with your friend doubled over not being able to breath because they are laughing with you. The consolation of a friend's hand physically on your shoulder when something in your life has gone wrong cannot be replaced with a post stating, "Sorry you are going through this, I am thinking of you."
As I mentioned I am on a variety of social media however, I am not married to any of them. There was something about Facebook that would suck me in for hours and cause me to have actual physical pain from getting angry, hurt, or upset from people's posting. For me, the solution was to get rid of the irritant. If I had a stone in my shoe I would not wait until after the five mile hike to remove it, right? Facebook was that stone.
It has been over eight months since I shut down my Facebook, people have asked if I will return after the new year. I won't. Especially with the upcoming Presidential election I feel pretty safe in saying the nastiness has not subsided and that's not a stone I want to put back in my shoe. Not even for a short hike.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Saturday, September 12, 2015
The Founding "Fathers" Were Christian and Smart
With the focus on Kim Davis and her stance against same sex marriage I've been thinking about the variety of ways people defend their views especially when the argument spouts, "it's time to put God back into the constitution." Fact is, He was never there!
The foundation of why the settlers came to America was so they could exercise their freedom of religion, most of which were Christian. When they wrote the constitution they wanted to be absolutely sure that this was never compromised. Not that every one had to be Christian but that every one would have the inalienable right and freedom to practice the religion of their choice and government has no place in that decision or practice. Now this being said, Kim Davis is well within her right to not condone same sex marriage as that is part of her religious belief system however, she is not allowed to disregard her oath to uphold the constitution at her job because she doesn't agree with a particular rule or law and use her religion as a crutch. If she cannot fulfill her duties as her oath would indicate she has no other choice than to step down from her job.
The constitution was written in 1787, ratified in 1788 with no mention of God. It does mention religion in the first amendment which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." This does not prohibit Kim Davis from worshiping, from believing what she believes and it does not at any point mention she cannot feel very strongly against same sex marriage, however, it does not state she is allowed to pick and chose the parts of her job she deems acceptable to herself. She took an oath when she accepted her position, an oath that goes as follows, "I, _____, do swear that I will well and truly discharge the duties of the office of _____ County Circuit Court clerk, according to the best of my skill and judgment, making the due entries and records of all orders, judgments, decrees, opinions and proceedings of the court, and carefully filing and preserving in my office all books and papers which come to my possession by virtue of my office; and that I will not knowingly or willingly commit any malfeasance of office, and will faithfully execute the duties of my office without favor, affection or partiality, so help me God." She swore this oath, "without favor, affection or partiality, so help [her] God" and it would seem to me she is being a bit partial picking and choosing what parts of her job she will and will not fulfill and add in, she is doing this knowingly.
I am a Christian AND I believe in the foundation of what this country was built on and I appreciate the freedom that I can choose to be a Christian and follow my faith. I also appreciate that I am smart enough to not apply or continue to work at a place that would cause me to have to compromise my beliefs. "Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 and "In God We Trust" was progressively added to money beginning in 1957. Although, as a Christian, I have no problem with either I do wonder how the first settlers, the men who wrote the constitution, the ones who came to this country to escape religious prosecution and made a point of writing a document making sure that freedom (whatever the religion might be) remain intact. In the end, I am not judge or jury, it is not my place. I believe that same sex couples should have the same legal rights of interracial couples, of opposite couples, or any couples! I believe God loves ALL of his children and I believe our forefathers were smart in writing a constitution that was meant to prevent the very reason they escaped their birthplace.
The foundation of why the settlers came to America was so they could exercise their freedom of religion, most of which were Christian. When they wrote the constitution they wanted to be absolutely sure that this was never compromised. Not that every one had to be Christian but that every one would have the inalienable right and freedom to practice the religion of their choice and government has no place in that decision or practice. Now this being said, Kim Davis is well within her right to not condone same sex marriage as that is part of her religious belief system however, she is not allowed to disregard her oath to uphold the constitution at her job because she doesn't agree with a particular rule or law and use her religion as a crutch. If she cannot fulfill her duties as her oath would indicate she has no other choice than to step down from her job.
The constitution was written in 1787, ratified in 1788 with no mention of God. It does mention religion in the first amendment which states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." This does not prohibit Kim Davis from worshiping, from believing what she believes and it does not at any point mention she cannot feel very strongly against same sex marriage, however, it does not state she is allowed to pick and chose the parts of her job she deems acceptable to herself. She took an oath when she accepted her position, an oath that goes as follows, "I, _____, do swear that I will well and truly discharge the duties of the office of _____ County Circuit Court clerk, according to the best of my skill and judgment, making the due entries and records of all orders, judgments, decrees, opinions and proceedings of the court, and carefully filing and preserving in my office all books and papers which come to my possession by virtue of my office; and that I will not knowingly or willingly commit any malfeasance of office, and will faithfully execute the duties of my office without favor, affection or partiality, so help me God." She swore this oath, "without favor, affection or partiality, so help [her] God" and it would seem to me she is being a bit partial picking and choosing what parts of her job she will and will not fulfill and add in, she is doing this knowingly.
I am a Christian AND I believe in the foundation of what this country was built on and I appreciate the freedom that I can choose to be a Christian and follow my faith. I also appreciate that I am smart enough to not apply or continue to work at a place that would cause me to have to compromise my beliefs. "Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 and "In God We Trust" was progressively added to money beginning in 1957. Although, as a Christian, I have no problem with either I do wonder how the first settlers, the men who wrote the constitution, the ones who came to this country to escape religious prosecution and made a point of writing a document making sure that freedom (whatever the religion might be) remain intact. In the end, I am not judge or jury, it is not my place. I believe that same sex couples should have the same legal rights of interracial couples, of opposite couples, or any couples! I believe God loves ALL of his children and I believe our forefathers were smart in writing a constitution that was meant to prevent the very reason they escaped their birthplace.
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