Study in Human Nature

I don't know why this continues to surprise me, because I've seen it so many times before, but I'm always shocked when it happens.

This afternoon a four-year-old boy had a seizure which put him into cardiac arrest.  As the helicopter was in flight to take the child to the hospital, his heart sick mother turned to Google+ on social media and asked for prayers.  She told people that didn't believe in a higher power to please just scroll on down.  She is not of my faith, but I know that God answers ALL prayers.  As a mother, I felt her pain.  I instantly bowed my head and said a prayer for this child, his mother, and all those who loved them.

On completion of my prayer, I scrolled through the comments.  In just an hour from her original post, there were 283 comments, 200 people had +1 (or liked) the post, and 67 people had forwarded the post for their followers to read and pray.  As I write this post, people are continuing to comment and pray.  Prayers came from many faiths--Christian and Muslim.  Some who don't believe in a higher power, left kind thoughts for a speedy recovery.

The reason for my shock:  There were several comments left for this grieving mother expressing the sentiment that instead of praying to some imaginary man in the sky, she should be hoping the doctors had learned their skills appropriately.  I am shocked at the heartlessness of those comments--especially since this mother had specifically asked that those who were not believers just scroll past.  Those on social media who insist on kicking a man who is down are just cruel people.  There is a time and a place for religious debate.  This was not the time, nor the place.  This was a grieving mother in a plea for support.  The longer I live in "civilization," the more I wonder how "civilized" we really are becoming.  All I can do is note the numbers of people who left kind messages and hope that by the end of the day, those messages far outweigh the unkind words.

Reveling in the Warmth

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I've just participated in a two-day event called General Conference where we hear speakers from the leaders of the church.  There are four general two-hour sessions and an extra session for the men (which the women can view on-line) over the weekend.  This happens twice a year; the first weekend in April, and the first weekend in October.

At the end of each conference, I marvel at the warmth I feel in my soul.  Conference is a time to take stalk of our lives, set new goals, and renew commitments with the Lord.

I've had the privilege the last couple of years to participate in on-line chatter via social media during conference.  We share conference quotes, impressions, thoughts, and ideas.  We make new friends in the process, and strengthen friendships with others. We have conversations with others not of our faith, and more friendships are formed.  I learn a lot from these people.

I don't own a laptop computer, or any fancy cell phone technology.  My computer is not in the same room with the television where I watch the sessions of conference.  So I participate on-line between sessions of conference.  This has forced me to take good notes during conference so that I can go back to the computer and talk about what I've heard.  Do you know how many years I've been told to take notes during conference?  Do you know how many years I ignored that counsel?  Well, I can now say that the counsel is wise.  I learn a lot from taking those notes.  :)

As conference came to a close today, I felt such a renewed commitment to the gospel.  I'm exhausted from two days of "filling my cup" and then talking about it on three different social media networks, but it's a good kind of tired.  It's the kind of tired that says, "you've got your work cut out for you, but it's okay because the Lord is there to help."

General Conference is not just for members of our faith, but for all people.  If you have never participated in a session of General Conference, I highly recommend that you watch a session or two on-line here.  You can watch the videos, listen to the audio, or download the texts.  (Texts may not be available for a few days.) Do yourself a favor and "fill your cup" and enlighten your mind.  Fill your heart with good things.

The Moving Line of Appropriateness

Recently I listened to a speaker in a church meeting (LDS Stake Conference) talk about the moving line of appropriate versus inappropriate viewing of media. This is something I've been concerned about for some time.  It used to be that you could avoid inappropriateness by not viewing "R" rated movies.  Now even PG-13 movies often have inappropriate dialog.  Television is a plethora of violence, vulgarity, and inappropriate use of the Lord's name.  Social media is rampant with vulgarity.

There is a terrible dilemma for those of us who want to be part of social media.  We are encouraged by leaders of the church to be involved in social media.  There is a ton of missionary work that is being done via social media, and I've been proud to play a tiny role in that effort the last few years.  In the process, we open ourselves up to viewing things we don't want to see, and reading words we don't want to read.  It is difficult to know where to draw the line.

My standard procedure with inappropriateness via social media has been to ignore it the first time (anyone can have a bad day), gently warn the person the second time, and uncircle, unfollow, and/or hide friendship the third time.  I'm sad about that.  If I were to have followed my own guidelines recently, I would have cut off contact with someone, but for some strange reason, I didn't follow those guidelines.  Last week I had a missionary experience with the offender.  So it brings the question to my mind again, "Where do I draw the line?"

I can testify to the fact that reading inappropriate words via social media does have an affect on you.  I was sound asleep the other night, and I woke up with a start because in my dream I was yelling at someone and used the most vulgar of words--in my sleep.

If you thought this blog post was going to give you answers as to where to draw the line, you were mistaken.  I don't know the answer.  It is something that I'm going to have to pray about earnestly.  On-line missionary work is very important, and it is very effective--but at what cost?  We have all talked about the moral decay of society and the importance of getting it back on track. How do we do that if we are not willing to roll up our sleeves and get dirty working in the trenches?  If we are willing to walk through the sewer, how do we keep ourselves spotless before the Lord?

I would welcome any suggestions you might have, or any comments, as I study this out in my mind and pray about it.

Friends

Friends come in all shapes and sizes. They are young, and they are old. You find them in the strangest places. Friends are found in school, at work, in church, at baseball games, and in clubs. I used to think that you had to meet someone and at least shake their hand to begin a friendship. That seemed logical, and I'm nothing if not logical.

A year or so ago my daughter encouraged me to open a Facebook account, and then some months ago I was encouraged at work to open a Twitter account. I began talking with complete strangers on the internet. It was odd for me at first. I wasn't sure what to say. As the months moved on, however, conversation became more natural. I listened to people's problems (in 40 characters or less). I began reading their blogs. Suddenly these funny made-up names on my computer screen became real people. I found myself actually caring about these people. We've rallied around each other as we've dealt with health issues, financial problems, a home that burned down, sick children, deaths in the family, raising children, staying connected with grandchildren, social issues, and our own struggles to be the kind of people we aspire to be. We've prayed for each other. We've prayed for each other's family members and friends.

As I began reading my internet buddies' blogs, I found a kind of friendship I've never before experienced. I read, I digested, I thought about, and then I responded. That's a novel concept, isn't it? When two people converse in the same room, how often do we stop to digest and think about what the other person says before we respond? Normal conversation seems to flow so quickly in this fast-paced world in which we live. Do we really listen to each other anymore?

Say what you will about social media. It can take up too much of our time if we allow that to happen. It can control our lives if we allow that to happen. Or social media can be a means of making us better people. We can learn from others. We can comfort others. We can develop bonds that reach beyond cyberspace and into human space.

Yes, friendship is found in a variety of places. Thank you Twitter and Facebook friends. I love you all.