"Like" it or Not: A Very Facebook Thanksgiving
I noticed something on Thanksgiving day. I was scrolling through my Facebook news feed and hitting the "like" button on pretty much every other post I saw. I was thoroughly enjoying my virtual Thanksgiving as I perused a ton of thankful posts, expressing gratitude on everything from the joys of eating cranberry sauce from a can, to hearing a small child express what he was grateful for at the holiday dinner table. All of it made me smile. I began hitting the "like" button as if it were my job, and I must say I liked it. Alot.
It was clear to me that everything is exactly what we make it to be. On Thankful Thursday, Facebook became a tool that (by and large) was used to spread joy, gratitude and love. I think sometimes it can be easy to forget that through this one website we are able to connect with each other in ways that can actually be uplifting and profound. Amidst the daily jokes, rants and raves, something deeper is happening here. We learn about each other. We learn about ourselves. And, probably most vitally, we learn to accept different points of view, if not to simply give them all a chance.
Yes, I admit it. This Thanksgiving I was grateful for alot of things, and Facebook was among them.
But lest we get carried away with all this virtual love, the clock eventually struck midnight. And 12:01am ushered in a whole new world on Facebook. Black Friday was upon us. There it all was, in pictures and in words. Long lines everywhere. Exhausted faces. Angsty status updates. Comments about pepper spray, caffeine, and $100 televisions. I could feel the stress of it all. Sure, some of it made me laugh. But my itchy trigger finger with the "like" button had mysteriously disappeared.
It seemed like just about everyone was drawn, like moths to a flame, to venture out into the darkness of night and join the masses in bargain-hunting. It's like the grateful message from the previous day had been altered for a new world: Perhaps Thanksgiving can be prolonged if we can just get the goods without having to break the bank?
Now I must confess something here. I have never joined the Black Friday masses. But this year, I actually thought about what it would feel like to go out and join in the hysteria. I thought about why people do it, and felt a little less judgemental about it than before.
Like Thankful Thursday, where people gather together and celebrate their connections over a huge meal, maybe Black Friday is just more of the same, but with a very different setting. I mean, we all want to feel a union with our brothers and sisters. At the core, we all want to feel connected. The whole Black Friday thing is just another way of feeling it. Sure, we can get some good deals on lots of material stuff. And yes, we can save some money and still make sure everyone gets their holiday wish lists fulfilled.
But examining it this year, I think there is something more going on. We all want to belong, and this can take many forms. When something like shopping becomes a can't-miss event, there just has to be more going on than meets the eye, at least in my mind. I refuse to believe that the only reason people want to topple over one another at midnight on their way into a WalMart is simply to get a new piece of furniture or some electronic gadget. I don't know. Maybe I'm reading too much into this. But I am inclined to think that they just want to be a part of something. To one degree or another, doesn't everyone?
Come to think of it, this is probably why I joined Facebook all those years ago. Of course, I wanted an easy way of keeping in touch with all of my loved ones. But more importantly, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. That also explains my curiosity about Black Friday. When the masses unite, I am always wondering what the deal really is, and I'm not talking about flat-screen televisions here. There is something happening beneath the surface that cannot be ignored. It is what's beneath the decision to join in anything, whether it makes us happy or not, that bears reflection.
To put it in terms that everyone in the Facebook world can understand: If I wouldn't hit the "like" button in response to any of my actions, maybe I shouldn't be doing it. Or at the very least I should question it a little further. In this age of social media, that could be the new rule to live by.
So here I am on Sacred Saturday (why not keep the nicknames going?), feeling thankful for the past couple of days. Thankful that we have such things as Facebook and Black Friday to show us what we value, and how we want to show up in the world. Even more, I am grateful that we are all in this thing together. None of us have to strive to be a part of anything; we already are a part of it. A big, unquestionable part of it. Each and every one of us are.
And what are we a part of, exactly? Well, that is for each of us to decide. I heard alot of people saying this past week that (food comas aside) they wish it could be Thanksgiving every day of the year. Hey, if it makes you feel good, then why not? I say go for it. I for one would love to hear more about what makes everyone truly happy. Not just once a year, but every day. Besides, what we choose to do and be in life doesn't seem to matter as much as how we are feeling inside about those choices. And choosing to celebrate Thanksgiving every day, regardless of where we are or what we are doing, sounds nice to me. Really nice, in fact.
Interestingly, retailers aside I haven't heard one person say they wish it could be Black Friday every day. Not one. Even with the bargain-basement prices, it appears that most people do not want to live through that experience more than once per year, if at all. To me, that says one thing loud and clear: Peace of mind is more important than cheap stuff, at least on most days. That is a start.
There are so many other ways to realize our connection with one another, and none of them have to involve pepper spray or shopping malls if we don't want them to. And they also don't have to involve turkey and cranberry sauce, either. That's the great thing about free will. The world we see can be whatever we want it to be. We just have to figure out what we really want to see, what gives us that sense of thanksgiving at the heart and gut level, and then go about our business creating exactly that in the world. The choice is always ours. And the real beauty is that unlike those Black Friday deals, free will is always free. Nothing to buy or wait in line for. It's always just right there. Amen to that.
Now, where's the "like" button when I need it?
It was clear to me that everything is exactly what we make it to be. On Thankful Thursday, Facebook became a tool that (by and large) was used to spread joy, gratitude and love. I think sometimes it can be easy to forget that through this one website we are able to connect with each other in ways that can actually be uplifting and profound. Amidst the daily jokes, rants and raves, something deeper is happening here. We learn about each other. We learn about ourselves. And, probably most vitally, we learn to accept different points of view, if not to simply give them all a chance.
Yes, I admit it. This Thanksgiving I was grateful for alot of things, and Facebook was among them.
But lest we get carried away with all this virtual love, the clock eventually struck midnight. And 12:01am ushered in a whole new world on Facebook. Black Friday was upon us. There it all was, in pictures and in words. Long lines everywhere. Exhausted faces. Angsty status updates. Comments about pepper spray, caffeine, and $100 televisions. I could feel the stress of it all. Sure, some of it made me laugh. But my itchy trigger finger with the "like" button had mysteriously disappeared.
It seemed like just about everyone was drawn, like moths to a flame, to venture out into the darkness of night and join the masses in bargain-hunting. It's like the grateful message from the previous day had been altered for a new world: Perhaps Thanksgiving can be prolonged if we can just get the goods without having to break the bank?
Now I must confess something here. I have never joined the Black Friday masses. But this year, I actually thought about what it would feel like to go out and join in the hysteria. I thought about why people do it, and felt a little less judgemental about it than before.
Like Thankful Thursday, where people gather together and celebrate their connections over a huge meal, maybe Black Friday is just more of the same, but with a very different setting. I mean, we all want to feel a union with our brothers and sisters. At the core, we all want to feel connected. The whole Black Friday thing is just another way of feeling it. Sure, we can get some good deals on lots of material stuff. And yes, we can save some money and still make sure everyone gets their holiday wish lists fulfilled.
But examining it this year, I think there is something more going on. We all want to belong, and this can take many forms. When something like shopping becomes a can't-miss event, there just has to be more going on than meets the eye, at least in my mind. I refuse to believe that the only reason people want to topple over one another at midnight on their way into a WalMart is simply to get a new piece of furniture or some electronic gadget. I don't know. Maybe I'm reading too much into this. But I am inclined to think that they just want to be a part of something. To one degree or another, doesn't everyone?
Come to think of it, this is probably why I joined Facebook all those years ago. Of course, I wanted an easy way of keeping in touch with all of my loved ones. But more importantly, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. That also explains my curiosity about Black Friday. When the masses unite, I am always wondering what the deal really is, and I'm not talking about flat-screen televisions here. There is something happening beneath the surface that cannot be ignored. It is what's beneath the decision to join in anything, whether it makes us happy or not, that bears reflection.
To put it in terms that everyone in the Facebook world can understand: If I wouldn't hit the "like" button in response to any of my actions, maybe I shouldn't be doing it. Or at the very least I should question it a little further. In this age of social media, that could be the new rule to live by.
So here I am on Sacred Saturday (why not keep the nicknames going?), feeling thankful for the past couple of days. Thankful that we have such things as Facebook and Black Friday to show us what we value, and how we want to show up in the world. Even more, I am grateful that we are all in this thing together. None of us have to strive to be a part of anything; we already are a part of it. A big, unquestionable part of it. Each and every one of us are.
And what are we a part of, exactly? Well, that is for each of us to decide. I heard alot of people saying this past week that (food comas aside) they wish it could be Thanksgiving every day of the year. Hey, if it makes you feel good, then why not? I say go for it. I for one would love to hear more about what makes everyone truly happy. Not just once a year, but every day. Besides, what we choose to do and be in life doesn't seem to matter as much as how we are feeling inside about those choices. And choosing to celebrate Thanksgiving every day, regardless of where we are or what we are doing, sounds nice to me. Really nice, in fact.
Interestingly, retailers aside I haven't heard one person say they wish it could be Black Friday every day. Not one. Even with the bargain-basement prices, it appears that most people do not want to live through that experience more than once per year, if at all. To me, that says one thing loud and clear: Peace of mind is more important than cheap stuff, at least on most days. That is a start.
There are so many other ways to realize our connection with one another, and none of them have to involve pepper spray or shopping malls if we don't want them to. And they also don't have to involve turkey and cranberry sauce, either. That's the great thing about free will. The world we see can be whatever we want it to be. We just have to figure out what we really want to see, what gives us that sense of thanksgiving at the heart and gut level, and then go about our business creating exactly that in the world. The choice is always ours. And the real beauty is that unlike those Black Friday deals, free will is always free. Nothing to buy or wait in line for. It's always just right there. Amen to that.
Now, where's the "like" button when I need it?
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