Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Pixelated faces

    So, this is something I have been thinking about a lot over the past semester.  I only write about it now, because sitting at my desk tonight waiting for Pandora Radio to load I find myself wishing for someone to hangout with.   It seems when I am home in PA I don't really enjoy dealing with people face to face.  When I try to connect with people here there seems to be a fake sheen blinding their eyes and littering whatever conversation we force between us.  Is this me?  Is it them? Or are we as society loosening our grip on our ability to open up to the people we share life with face to face?
    Why do we raise the curtains from infront of ourselves over facebook and twitter while finding it hard to raise our faces towards each other as we pass on the sidewalk?  Why have our thumbs replaced our voices? Is LOL, OMG and TTYL safer than hearing someone's voice in your ear?   This very blog is a perfectly framed picture exposing my security infront of a computer screen, a screen that won't judge or hold me accountably for my own thoughts.  I don't have to worry about having conviction behind what I say because my computer is all too agreeable.  I will be the first to say that I have held many a morning conversation with the pavement I walk on instead of facing the reality that I share that pavement with others.   However, I must admit that no matter how long that concrete path is willing to listen, when I reach my destination my thoughts still remain my own and I feel unsatisfied with the advice I have received along the way.
       I see people living vicariously through cartoon characters and needing costumes to connect with others and I wonder if the pixelated virus has infected their whole personality and made it impossible for them to grasp anything real.
       I have even seen faith create a wall between people higher than St. Peter's church.  I have family who are blinded by their own righteousness.  They believe they are following  God's plan by arrogantly praying repetitious prayers for their fellow man.  They forget that we are our own answered prayers for our fellow man.  But if we are too afraid to face the reality of world hand and hand, then I fear prayers will only go so far.

   So on this Ash Wednesday,  I charge myself to reach out, to look up, and connect with people face to face.  I will open my ears to the voices around me listen as honestly and compassionately as I can.

    Let's see if there is still a "social network" beyond the computer screen.

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