I freely admit that I love the Internet and social media, probably to a fault. I love the connection it provides with friends, some old, some new, some I only know because we share common goals, hobbies, beliefs, or "likes" online. I love the fact a community can come together and support a family whose child is battling cancer, or encourage a friend who lost a job, or pray for one another when we're suffering, struggling, whiny, or otherwise in need of a helping hand.

What I don't love is the constant barrage of conflict and strife. Don't get me wrong, I don't really care what people post. If I don't agree with it I simply (like a grown-up) ignore it. If it gets too stupid, I just don't visit that blog, or follow that individual, anymore. I've learned the hard way not to read comments on anything remotely controversial. The level of vitriol is much too high.


Lately, I find myself hitting the backspace and delete buttons frequently, and hesitating longer and longer over the "like" and "share" buttons. Why? Because I don't want to engage in an argument with what seems to be an increasingly large number of very unhappy people who are just looking for a fight.

When did we become such a miserable, self-righteous (no matter which side of the spectrum you fall on), venomous, angry nation? And why?

Just today I've been bombarded by debates about Hobby Lobby vs. Obamacare, vaccinations (I'm not even going to open that can of worms so just talk to the hand...), animal rights in China, animal rights at zoos, animal rights on Animal Planet, fracking, evolution vs. creation, the "gay agenda," green lawns as a crime against humanity, Medicare paying for penis pumps (seriously???), what really happened to flight 370 (like anyone knows), the threat of war in Russia and Ukraine, and so on and so forth.

I'm tired.

All of those subjects are important, and they are all worthy of discussion. But when the "discussion" turns into that kind of "discussion" your parents used to have that woke you up from a sound sleep... that's when things get messy.

We aren't going to solve anything by sniping at each other in comments on FB, or on a blog, or tweeting our opinions. The solution to our problems is going to be found when we stop looking at each other as the opposing team, start recognizing all the things we have in common, and start putting ourselves in each other's shoes.

Yeah, I know. Not gonna happen. At least not on a large scale. But I can do that, myself. I can stop and consider someone else's perspective before I lambaste them in a public forum. I can take a moment to recall all of the opinions and perceptions I've clung to for dear life that have drastically changed over the course of my two-score and three years (Doesn't two-score sound better than 40-something?) and offer some grace and mercy to others who are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt they are RIGHT about whatever they believe they are right about. I can choose kindness, compassion, and understanding, even when I disagree, disapprove, and dislike someone else's stance.

Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."
Maybe the Internet is the perfect opportunity to practice...

"What do you mean, 'I have PMS?'"
For one or two days (at least) a month, I wake up wearing "ugly glasses." They are the opposite of "rose-colored glasses." These goggles make everything look atrocious.
I look ugly. My clothes look weird. My house looks filthy, the yard trashy, my children onery, and my charming husband starts to look like an ogre. I see things I dislike everywhere around me and struggle to change them. This results in hours of "angry cleaning," which involves lots of stomping, cabinet slamming, vacuum banging, self-pity, and general misery. If I'm dressing to go somewhere, it means my entire wardrobe will be relegated to a heap on my bed, or the closet floor, in search of something that doesn't look "awful." Is any of this ringing true with any of you female readers? And if you're a guy, maybe it will help you understand your wife or girlfriend or daughter or mother!
I surmise these glasses are caused by a nasty episode of PMS (commonly known as Pre-Menstrual Syndrome, a.k.a. Psychotic Mood Shift, Puffy Mid-Section, and my personal favorite: Potential Murder Suspect, all from funnyandjokes.com). I've recently learned that "if your PMS is noticed by those around you, it's probably PMDD." I haven't even tried to figure that one out. I think it means PMS double-dog. Like a double-dog-dare?
After years of enduring these "ugly" days I had an epiphany while I sniveled over the condition of my bathroom. The revelation is not new, and you've probably heard it before: "Your perception is your reality."
Just like certain eye problems affect your depth perception, PMS goggles cause a change in your "reality perception." Now, acknowledging this didn't change the symptoms, but it certainly gave me some hope! If these "goggles" are a side effect of a temporary physical condition, then maybe I'm not a hopeless housekeeper, a terrible mother, and a lousy wife! I haven't instantly transformed into a frump with an IQ of 18.5, and my face hasn't really changed it's size or shape overnight. It's all just a perception, and tomorrow is a new day!
My question is this: If these physical changes produce such a dramatic effect on my perception of reality, what else is influencing my perceptions of the world around me? Am I yielding my emotions, my beliefs, my actions, to some external influence, instead of being influenced by God within? I read a little book many years ago about dealing with PMS as a Christian woman. The author, whose name I cannot recall, said, "Just because you have PMS symptoms does not give you the right to stop acting like a follower of Christ." Ouch.
Here's the good news: If you know your perceptions are off, you can let Christ compensate for your lack of accurate perception! It sounds easy, but in practice it's a "battle royale," as my youngest likes to say.
I wear contacts or glasses every day. Without them, I'm legally blind. I have to use "visual aids" to compensate for my physical weakness. Jesus is my "perception aid." When someone (or everyone) is irritating me, if I allow Christ's perception of that individual (even if it's ME) to color mine, my feelings will change.

Talk about preaching to the choir. I think this post was for me!