NOTE: This was originally posted on my Tumblr (agentarmando.tumblr.com)
First post ever. Yay!
Tonight, I start off with my experience with Lent, the process of self-renewal and self-acceptance that it’s supposed to mean, AND how Facebook factors into all of this. Now, for those who don’t know, I’m not one of those preachy, you’re-going-to-hell-if-you-don’t-believe-in-God types that tells everyone how sinful they are and that the Bible is the only truth. However, I do consider myself very religious. Just that I show it differently. I never go to Sunday mass (I actually hate the church for the most part for its policies and methods), but I pray to God every night before going to sleep and I’m never afraid of saying I believe in God and even carry my Rosary everywhere with me.
For those who don’t know what Lent is, it’s the time starting from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. It’s supposed to signify the time when Jesus Christ wandered the desert for 40 days and 40 nights fasting. During that time, the devil (Satan) appeared and tried to tempt Him in an effort to distract and keep Him from doing so. This is important because in Biblical writings, all fasts are followed by enlightenment in the form of God imparting His divine wisdom. In a way, Satan was keeping God from His ultimate goal: enlightenment. That’s basically what Lent is supposed to be for Catholics like me: a time of reflection, penance and coming to terms to the “negative” things in life, such as death. Hence, when you get ashed on Ash Wednesday, the priest doing the ashing says “Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.”
Lent this year was very special to me, because as of late I’ve been coming to terms of certain realities in life that aren’t necessarily pretty, such as mortality, career, money, peace of mind, the list goes on. Sometimes, it’s nice to pause and look back on the state of your life. Only then do you realize what’s happening. So many people, for example, are just on auto-pilot from full-time work that they don’t even have the time or energy to see what’s going on. That used to be my problem. Now, maybe for the first time ever since I had to worry about work, I’m rediscovering how to embrace life and not just survive it.
So how does this factor into Facebook? This year, I decided to give up Facebook for Lent, since you’re supposed to give up something “pleasurable” to symbolize and commemorate the struggle that Jesus Christ went through during the temptation. I gotta admit, I’m a total Facebook addict. I have a huge love/hate relationship with it. On one hand, it’s so awesome keeping in touch with (certain) friends and knowing what’s happening in their lives. It’s better and less time-consuming than say, individually calling/texting them and seeing how they’re doing. It’s also a great networking tool. On the other hand, it’s an outright invasion of privacy. Not only do they not do enough to protect you, they don’t respect your personal info and even profit of it. Obviously, they’re spying on you when you post about an iPhone and all of a sudden, an ad with a hot iPhone deal shows up, not to mention face recognition in photos, Facebook asking you where you took this photo, etc.
Again, they don’t even care about protecting your personal info. It’s a scary thought when Facebook does things like this: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/heres-what-facebook-sends-the-cops-in-response-to-a-subpoena/11528. Add to that this story my friend told me yesterday night about how he knew someone working at the Department of Corrections. He was in line for a promotion and his bosses demanded that he produce his password. Not only did they look inside his Facebook, they asked him about EVERY SINGLE post, photo, and check-in. It took them an hour and a half to sort through it all. So with that, I rest my case.
In spite of that, I still go on Facebook. Of course, I post stupid stuff (who doesn’t?) and “objectionable material,” but is it really my fault that some people can misinterpret it as me being a “bad guy.” Please, I have no criminal record, I don’t do drugs, and I’m not a serial-killer-in-training that lives in my mom’s basement. I don’t even smoke! Give me a break! I’m sure the guys who look at someone’s Facebook while interviewing someone have a lot more to hide than someone they’re interviewing.
So when Lent came, I figured “What the hell! Let’s axe Facebook since it seems to be the source of so many modern-day problems.” It would also give me a great opportunity to test how far I am in my mastery of meditation and how it has built up my will power. So I went cold turkey and deactivated on the day of Ash Wednesday, and I never cracked. Sure, the first day or two, I “struggled” since it was apparently already a habit and I had to make sure I just didn’t go on “auto-pilot” and do it (interesting article on habits and why they die hard: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/habit.html). But with some paying attention of my actions and some discipline, I got through it. The results really surprised me.
Like I said, I found it a struggle since the time I normally put in on Facebook was now surprisingly free, and for a moment I didn’t realize how to respond. What was I going to do without my time-waster? One problem that I see frequently happen is that when someone gets free time, they in a way get scared since nothing will be distracting the person, and that’s when all the thought come crashing through like the barbarians storming the gate. It gets up to a point where it almost drives you insane, but more on that on another post cuz’ I have plenty to say about that.
But then after the initial weathering of the storm, all I found was peace. Finally, I felt so free and productive. I didn’t even realize how much Facebook was bogging me down. In fact, I grew to like the free time I had and dedicated it to so many more useful things. And as for my social life, it may have actually improved. People were all asking me, texting and calling, saying if I really left Facebook (like it was something that was thought to be impossible?). I told them yes.
Nevertheless, I still hung out and actually got to see people that I haven’t seen in ages (some of which I met through Facebook networking). And for those people that were on my “to see” list, if they didn’t contact me, I contacted them instead by phone/text. It really wasn’t as time consuming as I thought, but that’s because I consciously “filtered” the acquaintances from the friends. So, all was hunky-dory in my social life. In fact, I felt that even though it was less “quantity,” it was more “quality” because I really enjoyed my time with the friends I saw that much more. And there was still tons of time left over to do other things, which I enjoy because I’m always looking to do and I have so many aspirations and dreams now that I want to start fulfilling, and I know it’ll require a lot of work. And surprisingly at work, I didn’t feel like I had the impulse to check Facebook.
Actually, this whole experience made me focus on my fairly new Twitter account. Doing that has made me learn that there’s a certain art in brevity, albeit a fine line for it to be effective. In other words, being brief while being effective is an acquired art. I remember I used to hate Twitter too, but there’s a certain learning experience in delivering things in 140 characters or less. I’ve grown to definitely love it and the “news” format they use. Facebook has a different approach I’ve realized. It’s more about “getting to know friends,” while Twitter is “a quick recap of your friends today.” Both are good in its own right.
Now that I’ve gotten on Facebook again after a while off, it’s all starting to come full-circle. There are the friends that make Facebook worth while and make you enjoy the experience. These are the same people who said “welcome back” on my page. Gotta admit, it was nice to be remembered. Then of course, there’s your “constant complainers,” which sometimes makes you wonder why you not only go on Facebook, but wonder why you haven’t de-friended them yet?
But there was another thing that I didn’t expect. When I came on, I realized that this was the new MySpace! Sure, it has the trashy photos of men and women alike. I have friends (and I’m sure Facebook has had a hand in this with their “friend suggesting”) that feel like they’re more Internet spam than actual people. No, I don’t care about the new Air Jordans and yes, I’m familiar with the stay-at-home actress/model. What else is new? And no, I don’t know these people, so I don’t care who they are. The first thing I did was realize all of the above, and immediately cleaned out my “friends” list. Must’ve deleted about 40 people and unsubscribed even more. I’m probably not done yet as well. Now, it’s somewhat passable. I even found out of a few nice surprises from friends. But it took me to step away from this in order to realize what exactly was happening. Sometimes, it’s good to stop and check yourself to see what happening around you. Sometimes, it’s for the better.
So basically, this Lent was a Mission Accomplished! I spent 40 days wandering the desert and losing myself just so I can find myself once more, and I avoided temptation in the form of unnecessary distractions. Maybe this is what it means to be enlightened and god-like: to be unwavering in your goals, no matter what may come your way.
Tonight, I start off with my experience with Lent, the process of self-renewal and self-acceptance that it’s supposed to mean, AND how Facebook factors into all of this. Now, for those who don’t know, I’m not one of those preachy, you’re-going-to-hell-if-you-don’t-believe-in-God types that tells everyone how sinful they are and that the Bible is the only truth. However, I do consider myself very religious. Just that I show it differently. I never go to Sunday mass (I actually hate the church for the most part for its policies and methods), but I pray to God every night before going to sleep and I’m never afraid of saying I believe in God and even carry my Rosary everywhere with me.
For those who don’t know what Lent is, it’s the time starting from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. It’s supposed to signify the time when Jesus Christ wandered the desert for 40 days and 40 nights fasting. During that time, the devil (Satan) appeared and tried to tempt Him in an effort to distract and keep Him from doing so. This is important because in Biblical writings, all fasts are followed by enlightenment in the form of God imparting His divine wisdom. In a way, Satan was keeping God from His ultimate goal: enlightenment. That’s basically what Lent is supposed to be for Catholics like me: a time of reflection, penance and coming to terms to the “negative” things in life, such as death. Hence, when you get ashed on Ash Wednesday, the priest doing the ashing says “Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.”
Lent this year was very special to me, because as of late I’ve been coming to terms of certain realities in life that aren’t necessarily pretty, such as mortality, career, money, peace of mind, the list goes on. Sometimes, it’s nice to pause and look back on the state of your life. Only then do you realize what’s happening. So many people, for example, are just on auto-pilot from full-time work that they don’t even have the time or energy to see what’s going on. That used to be my problem. Now, maybe for the first time ever since I had to worry about work, I’m rediscovering how to embrace life and not just survive it.
So how does this factor into Facebook? This year, I decided to give up Facebook for Lent, since you’re supposed to give up something “pleasurable” to symbolize and commemorate the struggle that Jesus Christ went through during the temptation. I gotta admit, I’m a total Facebook addict. I have a huge love/hate relationship with it. On one hand, it’s so awesome keeping in touch with (certain) friends and knowing what’s happening in their lives. It’s better and less time-consuming than say, individually calling/texting them and seeing how they’re doing. It’s also a great networking tool. On the other hand, it’s an outright invasion of privacy. Not only do they not do enough to protect you, they don’t respect your personal info and even profit of it. Obviously, they’re spying on you when you post about an iPhone and all of a sudden, an ad with a hot iPhone deal shows up, not to mention face recognition in photos, Facebook asking you where you took this photo, etc.
Again, they don’t even care about protecting your personal info. It’s a scary thought when Facebook does things like this: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/heres-what-facebook-sends-the-cops-in-response-to-a-subpoena/11528. Add to that this story my friend told me yesterday night about how he knew someone working at the Department of Corrections. He was in line for a promotion and his bosses demanded that he produce his password. Not only did they look inside his Facebook, they asked him about EVERY SINGLE post, photo, and check-in. It took them an hour and a half to sort through it all. So with that, I rest my case.
In spite of that, I still go on Facebook. Of course, I post stupid stuff (who doesn’t?) and “objectionable material,” but is it really my fault that some people can misinterpret it as me being a “bad guy.” Please, I have no criminal record, I don’t do drugs, and I’m not a serial-killer-in-training that lives in my mom’s basement. I don’t even smoke! Give me a break! I’m sure the guys who look at someone’s Facebook while interviewing someone have a lot more to hide than someone they’re interviewing.
So when Lent came, I figured “What the hell! Let’s axe Facebook since it seems to be the source of so many modern-day problems.” It would also give me a great opportunity to test how far I am in my mastery of meditation and how it has built up my will power. So I went cold turkey and deactivated on the day of Ash Wednesday, and I never cracked. Sure, the first day or two, I “struggled” since it was apparently already a habit and I had to make sure I just didn’t go on “auto-pilot” and do it (interesting article on habits and why they die hard: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2005/habit.html). But with some paying attention of my actions and some discipline, I got through it. The results really surprised me.
Like I said, I found it a struggle since the time I normally put in on Facebook was now surprisingly free, and for a moment I didn’t realize how to respond. What was I going to do without my time-waster? One problem that I see frequently happen is that when someone gets free time, they in a way get scared since nothing will be distracting the person, and that’s when all the thought come crashing through like the barbarians storming the gate. It gets up to a point where it almost drives you insane, but more on that on another post cuz’ I have plenty to say about that.
But then after the initial weathering of the storm, all I found was peace. Finally, I felt so free and productive. I didn’t even realize how much Facebook was bogging me down. In fact, I grew to like the free time I had and dedicated it to so many more useful things. And as for my social life, it may have actually improved. People were all asking me, texting and calling, saying if I really left Facebook (like it was something that was thought to be impossible?). I told them yes.
Nevertheless, I still hung out and actually got to see people that I haven’t seen in ages (some of which I met through Facebook networking). And for those people that were on my “to see” list, if they didn’t contact me, I contacted them instead by phone/text. It really wasn’t as time consuming as I thought, but that’s because I consciously “filtered” the acquaintances from the friends. So, all was hunky-dory in my social life. In fact, I felt that even though it was less “quantity,” it was more “quality” because I really enjoyed my time with the friends I saw that much more. And there was still tons of time left over to do other things, which I enjoy because I’m always looking to do and I have so many aspirations and dreams now that I want to start fulfilling, and I know it’ll require a lot of work. And surprisingly at work, I didn’t feel like I had the impulse to check Facebook.
Actually, this whole experience made me focus on my fairly new Twitter account. Doing that has made me learn that there’s a certain art in brevity, albeit a fine line for it to be effective. In other words, being brief while being effective is an acquired art. I remember I used to hate Twitter too, but there’s a certain learning experience in delivering things in 140 characters or less. I’ve grown to definitely love it and the “news” format they use. Facebook has a different approach I’ve realized. It’s more about “getting to know friends,” while Twitter is “a quick recap of your friends today.” Both are good in its own right.
Now that I’ve gotten on Facebook again after a while off, it’s all starting to come full-circle. There are the friends that make Facebook worth while and make you enjoy the experience. These are the same people who said “welcome back” on my page. Gotta admit, it was nice to be remembered. Then of course, there’s your “constant complainers,” which sometimes makes you wonder why you not only go on Facebook, but wonder why you haven’t de-friended them yet?
But there was another thing that I didn’t expect. When I came on, I realized that this was the new MySpace! Sure, it has the trashy photos of men and women alike. I have friends (and I’m sure Facebook has had a hand in this with their “friend suggesting”) that feel like they’re more Internet spam than actual people. No, I don’t care about the new Air Jordans and yes, I’m familiar with the stay-at-home actress/model. What else is new? And no, I don’t know these people, so I don’t care who they are. The first thing I did was realize all of the above, and immediately cleaned out my “friends” list. Must’ve deleted about 40 people and unsubscribed even more. I’m probably not done yet as well. Now, it’s somewhat passable. I even found out of a few nice surprises from friends. But it took me to step away from this in order to realize what exactly was happening. Sometimes, it’s good to stop and check yourself to see what happening around you. Sometimes, it’s for the better.
So basically, this Lent was a Mission Accomplished! I spent 40 days wandering the desert and losing myself just so I can find myself once more, and I avoided temptation in the form of unnecessary distractions. Maybe this is what it means to be enlightened and god-like: to be unwavering in your goals, no matter what may come your way.
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