...and then I remembered

I have to be honest. Staying off Facebook has not been easy. The other night I was tempted to break the social media fast. I'm missing out on the high school reunion excitement (even though I'm not going, it is exciting) and I'm missing out on the funny pictures I find and the interaction with family and friends.

Then I heard something on the radio and was reminded of some of the reasons I did this. One, I want to be obedient where I can. Two, I got tired of the ugliness.

It doesn't matter what I heard, what's important is that I remembered.

Answer to Prayer?

For some time, I've noticed that I've been extremely disillusioned with what social media has devolved into. It would make me sad to see people I truly care about post hateful things publicly and then quietly say "you know I don't mean you."

So, what I understand is that you're condemning all who believe like me, but not me?

Ok, perhaps, but imagine how you'd feel knowing you were considered collateral damage. Are you not supposed to hurt because someone mocked what you believed but not you?

Anyway, it's been getting worse and worse and I really wanted to just pull the plug once and for all. But then there's the High School reunion coming up, and family updates, and church updates, and, and, and.

I've been troubled for a while over this and earlier last week, I thought to myself "maybe a social media fast IS a good idea."

I'm no Prophet, but I know someone who is. During the #GeneralConference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints this past weekend, we had a meeting for all the women age 8 and up. During that meeting, Pres. Russell M Nelson encouraged the sisters to take a 10 day social media fast and record their feelings during that time.

Obviously, I'm not alone in my concerns, and I have already come up with many ideas to clean it up. It was almost as if...oh who am I kidding! It WAS an answer to prayer.

I know I'll be back in a few days. It's not forever, but it is a much needed break.

Politics of personal...

When I was a young adult, my mother or others would say something about me being in a bad mood when I obviously wasn't. That person would persist and persist until I would snap and then they'd say "I thought you weren't in a bad mood."

The truth was I wasn't until you pushed me there.

I saw this happen in the last few weeks with a SCOTUS nominee. I'm not here to discuss his merits or his faults, but to recall a tendency.

When we push someone to the breaking point, we have no right to criticize their temperament.

It reminds me of something my dad used to say about Sabbath observance. Sometimes there is an "ox in the mire," something that comes up that involves what would normally going against Sabbath observance to take care of. My dad would say "it's ok to get that ox out of the mire on the Sabbath as long as you didn't spend all day Saturday pushing him in."

To bring this back to current reality, "It's ok to bring attention to someone's temperament as long as you aren't the one to drove him or her there."