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Your Friend?

Your Friend?

One of the hardest things to do in this toxic environment of political, religious and cultural fog we find ourselves in is staying friends with people who do not share our beliefs. Yesterday, a friend online and in real life, put a placard on his Facebook page that said; “I am a supporter of (fill in the blank). If you do not like that feel free to unfriend me.” It’s where we are today in the world on social media, instant commentary, and judgment. I responded back to his post that I respected him and his family no matter his political, cultural or religious leanings and that he was my friend. Period. He liked my response and I was thankful because he and his family are important to me.

Friendship is underrated. One of the parts of social media I’ve never liked is calling a person you’re connected to online a “friend.” I think, hope, friendship is deeper than a connection between two computers. Sadly, however, I’ve been proved wrong a lot lately. I’ve heard people talking, read social media posts that declare the end of friendships. I want it to be hyperbole but relationships are tenuous in a chaotic world. We quickly find out who will and won’t stay friends with us. Division and dissolution of friendships and connections happen at lightning speeds.

We need to slow down. Take a breath. Remember that friendship should be more than affiliations, litmus tests, preferences and choosing sides.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Wasted Minds

Feb 24

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Wasted Minds –

This has been a tumultuous week following the shooting at Parkland High School in Florida. People have chosen sides on the gun debate and have used this tragedy as an example as to why they are on the side of the angels. I’ve seen countless posts about gun rights and gun restrictions. I have posted my opinion on the gun debate on my blog in the last couple of weeks if you care to know where I stand on this cultural, moral and spiritual issue. Everyone has their argument at the ready. They grab screenshots, tweet, put a photo on Instagram, use memes, videos and Facebook are so full of posts on the issue it’s hard to find anything else.

I think it’s an issue which needs many conversations. There’s not an easy solution and anyone who thinks there is hasn’t thought about it enough. What doesn’t need to happen is more arguing over the subject. We are a divided people in our country and it seems every “Breaking News” headline on whatever channel we watch, or website we read, erodes our relationships with those with differing views more.

Whatever side we’re on, opinion we possess, idea we espouse, we should also respect and love our neighbor. If we can’t then our voice is wasted, nothing changes and the world continues to go to hell.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Mindfulness

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Right or Wrong?

Feb 3

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Right or Wrong –

This morning I watched a political debate that quickly turned into a shouting, insulting, “I’m right and you’re wrong” diatribe from both parties. It’s disheartening to look at our present cultural landscape and realize not many people know how to talk to each other about things upon which they disagree.

One of the lessons I teach residents in my jail class is how to respect each other even if we disagree. We talk about eye contact (which may be while social media is the worst place to have a meaningful conversation), asking questions politely, consider your body language, what to do with your hands, monitor facial expressions, remember that listening is not agreeing and two people can be right or wrong about one subject. It amazes me that my jail students are often nicer, more respectful when discussing a difficult topic than many people on Facebook.

Hopefully, it won’t be this way forever. Debate and deep conversation are some of the values and pillars of a democratic society. I fear, however, perhaps we’ve gone too far and may never recover our civility.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Mindfulness

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Tags: #agreeing, #amazes, #asking, #average, #blessings, #body, #civility, #class, #consider, #conversation, #cultural, #debate, #deep, #democratic, #diatribe, #disagree, #discussing, #disheartening, #expressions, #eyecontact, #Facebook, #facial, #far, #fear, #forever, #hands, #hopefully, #insulting, #jail, #landscape, #language, #lessons, #listening, #meaningful, #monitor, #never, #nicer, #parties, #person, #pillars, #politely, #political, #posture, #present, #questions, #quickly, #realize, #recover, #remember, #residents, #respect, #respectful, #right, #rightorwrong, #shouting, #socialmedia, #society, #students, #subject, #teach, #topic, #turned, #values, #watched, #worst, #wrong, however

I Insist

Jan 16

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

I Insist –

A few days ago I posted a political article on my Facebook page. It was a snarky article but I thought it spoke beyond the snark and pointed to a larger and important point. It didn’t take long for people on both sides of the political landscape to begin voicing their opinions. By the time I woke up the next morning my Facebook feed was littered with exuberant cheers and bellicose jeers. After reading a few comments on the article I deleted it. I don’t have any desire to be one more voice in the cacophony of political arguments that dominate our national disagreements.

It was a stark reminder that we live in perilous times where debate and discussion have disappeared and have been replaced by something else that’s a mean, vicious, attack and take no prisoners approach to others who have a different opinion, view on politics, world affairs, life in general and specific.

I don’t want to be in this place personally or culturally. Somehow we must find our way back from allowing our identities to be attached to fleeting things; people, regions, political parties, church affiliation, and cultural icons. We need to discover who we are by journeying inward not abdicating ourselves to what’s outside of us. It’s our only hope for survival and peace.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Mindfulness

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Tags: #abdicating, #affairs, #affiliation, #allowing, #approach, #arguments, #attached, #attack, #bellicose, #beyond, #blessings, #both, #cacophony, #cheers, #comments, #cultural, #culturally, #debate, #deleted, #desire, #different, #disappeared, #discover, #discussion, #dominate, #exuberant, #Facebook, #feed, #find, #fleeting, #hope, #icons, #identities, #identity, #important, #Insist, #inward, #jeers, #journeying, #landscape, #larger, #life, #littered, #mean, #opinions, #outside, #page, #parties, #perilous, #personally, #place, #point, #pointed, #political, #posted, #reading, #regions, #reminder, #replaced, #sides, #snark, #snarky, #specific, #spoke, #stark, #survival, #takenoprisoners, #vicious, #view, #voice, #voicing, #way, #woke, Article, church, National, Opinion, Peace, Politics, World

Comparisons

Oct 18

Posted by thewannabesaint.com

Comparisons –

Someone told me today about a friend they have who is unhappy. This is the opposite of her usual demeanor. By most accounts, she’s always been a go lucky, chipper, satisfied, joyful person. However, in the last several months who mood has changed and the sparkle in her eye has dulled considerably. The person sharing this with me said her friend’s unhappiness with life has increased along with her social media consumption. She’s said; “When I read my friends’ posts on Facebook, look at their pictures on Instagram, see their interactions with countless other folks on Twitter, my life seems rather dull, empty, lacking.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard someone relay this type of story to me. Social media can be a wonderful tool and a good way to share select moments of our lives with our friends and family but we must remember the words; SELECT MOMENTS. Those inspirational posts on Facebook often come from a book or web page of quotes. The beautiful pictures on Instagram don’t show the before and after of getting ready to take the photo and recovering from it. Twitter can be an okay place to exchange ideas but more often its people shouting their opinions at each other.

Comparisons can be dangerous, especially on social media. Most of what we see on these platforms are illusions. They rarely give us a real glimpse of who a person is and what their life is truly like. We have to be careful comparing our life, which we know intimately, with another’s snapshots of theirs. Our life may seem bland, our thoughts benign, our family and friendships boring, but that’s okay. Most of the time, if we were to see what a Facebook friend’s life is like, or the reality behind a Twitter account, or the other moments when everyone isn’t smiling on Instagram we might decide our life is good and worthy of our thanks.

blessings,
@BrianLoging (Twitter)
thewannabesaint.com

Posted in Mindfulness

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Tags: # moments, #after, #before, #benign, #bland, #boring, #careful, #comparing, #Comparisons, #dangerous, #decide, #dull, #empty, #exchange, #Facebook, #friends, #glimpse, #ideas, #illusions, #inspirational, #interactions, #intimately, #lacking, #life, #opinions, #pictures, #platforms, #rarely, #recovering, #select, #share, #shouting, #snapshots, #socialmedia, #thanks, #tool, #Twitter, #wonderful, #worthy, Family, Instagram, quotes

Essentialist and Wannabesaint

Essentialist, contemplative, author, advocate, old soul

Blog Archives

Your Friend?

Wasted Minds

Right or Wrong?

I Insist

Essentialist and Wannabesaint

Essentialist, contemplative, author, advocate, old soul

Blog Archives

Your Friend?

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Wasted Minds

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Right or Wrong?

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I Insist

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Comparisons

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