Love/Hate Relationships

Before you read this post, I am writing hypothetically and this is a general opinion article, not about a specific situation or people. I am in a good place right now without conflict. Let's keep it that way, shall we?

Social media and I have a love/hate relationship.

• I love the convenience of it. 
• I love being able to keep up with friends and family who I don't interact with regularly.
• I love that you can post information to a group and instantly everyone is informed about assignments and schedule changes and important info.
• I love that you can break large groups into small groups for specific tasks.
• I love that you can make events and share them with people.
• I love that I can see birthdays and wedding photos and who has lost a tooth or gained a car or dumped a boyfriend.

But...

• I hate that you can post instantly what is in your head, sometimes bypassing your internal filter.
• I hate that you can write things that aren't true about other people or situations that you really know nothing about.
• I hate that people can comment to their heart's desire about things that don't involve them.
• I hate game requests.
• I hate that the computer keeps recommending ads based on my reading/preferences.
• I hate that my life can be stalked by people I don't prefer. 

Seriously, you better not ever talk smack about my family or make half-veiled commentary about private things on social media, or I will take this off of the Internet and into Real Life so fast it will make your hard drive burst into flames.

I have absolutely no tolerance for ridiculousness and will not accept it from anyone. I will call you, walk down the hall to talk to you, come see you where you work, drop in at your house, make an appointment in a public space, but I will NEVER call you out on the Internet in some veiled attempt at character assassination. You will know I'm coming for you. Every. Single. Time.

Because conflicts are to be resolved in person, in private. And the entire point of conflict ought to be resolution every single time. We need to reconcile, forgive, and move on. Airing supposed grievances on Facebook or twitter makes you petty and small. You are a coward hiding behind a computer screen.

What is private is private and shouldn't be aired on the Internet. And if you choose to post things in public that should have been dealt with behind closed doors that concern me and mine, I will be bringing it to your house. We forget that our actions always have consequences.

I pray that I am never one of your consequences. You should probably pray likewise. And remember to deal with people as you wish to be dealt with.