java soaked theological philosophy and associated blather from a spiritual nomad

Disclaimer

I am a man with a great love for my Lord, the church and her members, and for coffee, strong and black.
I also have a great love for writing.
Everything I say here is my own opinion. Why in the world would I hold someone else's opinion?

Showing posts with label facebook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label facebook. Show all posts

Thursday, September 22, 2011

what a meeting of all of my Facebook Friends would be like

I was mulling over the idea of what a meeting of all of my Facebook Friends would be like.

A few days ago, I asked an open question. Do you think the people we talk to every day on Facebook would be anything at all what they seem like if we met them in person. One person answered and said No way. Chickens.

But what would it be like if we had a party to which we invited our best Facebook friends to come? I’m not talking about the weird friends we have, like the Texas City Dike or professional organizations – stuff like that. I am talking about the people we talk to all the time on Facebook.

I have built up a relationship with a few people and would like to get to know them better. I probably, and sadly, never will.

But if we got together, had dinner and something to drink, what would it be like?

There are people I have not seen in a long time. There are people I saw last weekend. There are people I have never seen. All kinds.

There are people I knew in high school. There is one girl I would have given a lot to date, but never gave me much more than the time of day. There is another I should have gotten to know better. Another who was unavailable (going with a surfer!). Another I dated a couple of times but who is never on Facebook. A couple of guys I kind of knew.

Then there are the relatives. There are people I am related to and met for the first time in many, many years last February at my Dad’s funeral. There are relatives I have never met.

There is my mother, of course, my wife, son, daughter and her husband, brother, sister, brother-in-law, uncle, some cousins, some nieces and nephews. There is one weird cousin that I saw about twenty or thirty years ago, but haven’t seen since. And there is his half-sister, who I have never met.

There is one college friend, a different guy that was one of the funniest people I ever met (other than myself, of course). Another who turned out far better than I ever thought he would (he and I ran a radio show together), another who ran a rival radio show but wasn’t as funny or talented as we were.

Then there are the professional friends, some of which have turned out to be good Facebook friends. We discuss theology and other stuff almost daily. I would love to have coffee with them and share face-to-face with them, but probably never will.

There are old (relatively speaking) members of my past youth groups and past churches, people I knew as a child, people I went to seminary with, others.

Then there are friends that have somehow attached themselves to my page that I talk to fairly often but do not even know. Maybe friends of friends or something. And some of them I have gotten to like.

Some I would love to know better, some I know as well as I probably want. Some, amazingly enough, I have grown to love and it pains me that I may never get to touch them, to hug them, to pray with them personally, to help them iron out their many faults with my wisdom.

All I can do is keep in Facebook touch (which when it comes down to it is the most shallow of human interchange) and know that it will have to do.

I wish I could talk to each, some more than others, but still.

What a party that would be. I would probably have to hire a hall or something. I don’t think the church fellowship room would be big enough. Maybe a band. Barbeque for dinner. Cake.

And maraschino cherries. I threw a birthday party once for myself where I had lots of maraschino cherries available, and noise-makers. If we are going to have a party, it might as well be a loud one.

Monday, April 25, 2011

arguing on facebook

How wonderful and pleasant it is
      when brothers live together in harmony!
For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
      that was poured over Aaron’s head,
      that ran down his beard
      and onto the border of his robe.
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
      that falls on the mountains of Zion.
   And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
      even life everlasting. (Psalm 133:1-3 NLT)
I was discussing with a couple of friends the other day about what we wear to church.

It had begun oddly enough with a picture of an Easter Parade in New York City in 1904. I commented that it seemed like a different universe.

The response was odd enough and became what could have been vitriolic enough that I took the post down.

I said that I had worn a suit Easter morning. One person said that he felt it best that we dress as best as we can. The other seemed to say that we had an obligation to not make people feel uncomfortable when they came.

The two had what seemed like an online argument over what to wear. I stepped in and said that I had not intended to make any judgments, but that I just commented on what I wore. One of them made another comment and I took the post down.

I think they were arguing apples versus oranges, respect versus culture.

It made me feel slightly embarrassed. It wasn’t my fault, but it is hard to know what to put up and what not to.

Yesterday, I made a recommendation of a movie about Alice in Wonderland, a 1985 TV miniseries that I liked. Someone else had to make a comment about the prevalence of homosexuality in modern America (or at least it seemed to be).

I like Facebook and I like the online conversations we have. I have also made some friends that I either didn’t know before or hadn’t seen in years. I like that.

But I do not like the need to argue that can sometimes affect Facebook users.

We have become an argumentative society, a society that seems to want to have the last word. rarely do debates solve anything anymore.

I am not really sure they have accomplished much in the past one hundred years, but that is another question. They used to be an integral part of our culture before the days of mass communication, when people would use them to argue their points of view.

In those days, they were done civilly and usually put in print afterwards for others to read. It is a fact that many time, in the print version, the losing side would win the debate. The oral debate was won too often on ability to speak rather than organization and effectiveness of thinking.

I could not have known that such an innocuous picture as one of an Ester Parade one hundred years ago would engender such a strong debate.

And I didn’t like it when two friends and brothers argued so bitterly.