My Facebook Fast

It's been slightly over a week now since I've started my 30 day Facebook Fast, and I've already noticed a shift.  Bear with me as I try to explain, as I am still trying to sort it all out.

First of all, I haven't felt this connected to the world in quite some time... which is ironic since Facebook supposedly connects us to so many!

When I say I feel "connected" it's something far beyond just people... I guess it's more of a spiritual connection... of which a side effect is feeling more secure in who I am.  I had no idea the effect Facebook was having on my self-esteem...

I can't help but think of one of my favorite books, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.  One of the agreements is, "Don't take anything personally."  Facebook sets the stage perfectly to alternately feed and starve the ego (our false sense of self).  Any time we expand or contract the ego, self-esteem is affected. That false sense of self automatically makes us feel separate from the world instead of one small cell of a larger, cohesive organism.  The ego makes us feel disconnected.  It wants us to feel like an individual!  It makes us want to feel unusually unique!  Of course, we all are in our own way, but this can also turn against us, making us feel so unique that we get cocky, over-confident, or feel like an island that no one can understand.  It makes us feel alone and lonely.

On top of that, virtual interaction is a whole new breed... it's communication without connection.  And when I consider the state of the world today, with cyber-bullying and the lack of empathy that we witness in things like this video:

it occurs to me that it is this lack of connection that is brewing such a diseased world. Communication without being witness to others' emotions guards us from the pain that we cause, and keeps us from sensing that pain and feeling it in our own hearts.  We have been well-trained from the time we were small children to disconnect from what we see on screens... that what we see isn't "real."  That's how we can watch horror, and action, and absurdity without ending up in a mental ward!  It's a protective mechanism.  I'm starting to wonder if many of us are experiencing the same numbing effect with Facebook.  Classic Conditioning and Stimulus Generalization at its finest.

In this week since I've been off facebook, I have been more clued in to who my real friends are, I've been less self-absorbed, less distracted, and felt more spiritually engaged...

Can't wait to see what happens next week! (Stay tuned and "Follow" for updates!)

Did I stay off Facebook?  Click here to find out!