Still, I have to stand up in defense of this social phenomenon. With a full time job and two busy teens, it can be difficult to find time to visit with friends. (Don't even suggest the phone...I really hate talking on the phone!) With Facebook, I have reconnected with friends from grade school (which, believe me, was a LONG time ago!) I have laughed with co-workers, cried with friends who live in different cities, and learned of the upcoming marriages, births, and anniversaries. I find I can reconnect with lots of friends on a daily basis! Most importantly, facebook helps me overcome "cardboard cutout syndome".
We all are prone to suffer from the CCS (Cardboard Cutout Syndrome) at one time or another. CCS is that condition where you forget that other people have lives. It's almost as if, without meaning to, we treat others as though they are simple cardboard cutouts whenever we aren't around. They just sit there and only come to life when we walk into the scene. Oh, we actually know that they have lives, but it just never crosses our minds....I've had bosses like that. They thought my one reason for existing was to do something for them. They thought nothing of calling me in early, having me work late, etc. After all, once they were done with me, I'd simply go back to being a cutout again...waiting on them to require my services again. I don't think they meant to be that way; they were just so wrapped up in their own little world it just sort of happened.
I'd love to say I wasn't guilty of treating others like cardboard cutouts, but in the hectic pace of daily life, I'm afraid I, too, could fall prey to CCS. I don't mean to be selfish, but it is one of the easiest traps to slip into. I sometimes feel like I am a walking example of the Toby Keith song..."it's all about me, all about I, all about number one oh my me my, what I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see....it's all about me-e-e!" That is, until Facebook.
Facebook is the cure for CCS! With it I can sort of stay in touch with my friends even in the busiest of days! I know who had a great workout, who has a headache, who has a song stuck in their head, who has a birthday, who....well, the list just goes on and on! While I may not have great long conversations, I can share a quick joke with a friend that I used to work with. I can ask for help with a recipe from my girlfriends. I can see pictures of that new grandbaby and the smile on grandma's face. I share funny stories with parents about their kids. I can share a scripture each day with my niece that I don't see nearly often enough. I can know that a friend in a far away city needs prayer. All friends who mean so much to me, and there's not a cardboard cutout in the bunch.
So yes, I am a facebook addict, but it beats falling into the trap of the cardboard cutout routine.
Thanks Facebook for giving me so many opportunities to remember friends!
Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God every time I remember you."
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