With the way that the economy is going, we all have more time to surf the internet and engage deeply in what is circulating in the media. I have found myself engaging a little more than I should. This has taught me a lesson; I have learned that not everything that I read or listen to is good for my spirit.
Before social media gave a platform to everyone, there were only a few that had it. Now anyone can speak their thoughts no matter if it is truth or emotions driven. No one’s personal life is a secret anymore. I remember when people said, “no news is good news”, and “any publicity is good publicity”. Not anymore, now everyone wants an opportunity to be that person. Talk about pull the sheets back. It feels like people see or hear things and expose it without a conscious. There are no limitations or boundaries that people aren’t willing to cross to bury the next person. Somehow, we have lost respect for one another. The internet has given people more access to taunt others. What has happened to us? And now it is done in a way that people feel entitled to speak against someone else’s situation, they act as if their words breathe life into others and don’t realize that their words could break a person more than they are already broken.
As I was surfing the internet, I came across a post that someone shared. It was an old clipping of one of my favorite tv shows. It brought back old memories. As I scrolled through the comments, I laughed because a lot of people were reminiscing and enjoying the moment. As I continued to read, it saddened me that someone brought up something negative of that person’s past. I am not aware of the incident and a lot of times, we don’t know what happened, only what we can speculate from the media. The person went on and on to shed light on this individual as if they were the crucifier. Let’s tell the world what he’s done. What happened to love your neighbors as yourself or treat people the way that you want to be treated.
Now that social media has given everyone a platform, that no one was taught how to use. We’ve given people access to others without considering what would come from it. We’ve opened up the lives of others and exposed it to the world and then say they put their life out there, so we have a right to judge. The world has become misguided, by what has been allowed and no one is correcting it. The word still applies, but we choose not to use it. What happened to giving people grace.
This made me think about a lot of things that I read on the internet. I was always told God’s grace and mercy will follow me all my days. It appears that people decide to take away God’s grace and mercy or decides who deserves it. Lately, it seems that the world dictates the outcomes. We do not have time to identify the reasons behind peoples’ behavior, but we have time to categorize individuals and tell their stories. Do not place people in a holding cell that you created for them. Even when we feel like people do not deserve grace and mercy, God’s promise is that grace and mercy will follow them, and His word does not return to Him void. We cannot take away something that we did not give.
Chadwick Boseman’s life was a great example and should be a lesson to all of us. As we honor this man for his character, hard work, and everything that he endured; let us not take life for granted. And let us not forget the lesson we learned following his death. People were so eager to judge and cast a stone, not knowing of his ailment. Again, another example of how the internet has given a platform without proper etiquette. It is not ok to speak on the lives of others when we do not know what the core looks like. No one owes us an explanation for anything. Even though the world is at odds right now, let’s respect each other and leave the judgement for someone greater than we are. We should all be fueled by love and the betterment of one another.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it should be life is short and time is not promised. We will not all agree, but we can all choose love. We can choose to be respectful, we can choose to honor each other, and we can choose to love one another. We can always choose love.
This was a great read and so true. Thank you.
This was definitely a great post. It’s so true that everyone has opinion of something and has yet to look in the mirror and fix the image they see daily . Beautifully written.