About a month ago, I wrote a post on why I wanted to "leave" Facebook. My main reason for doing so was that I had lost count of how many times I had become incredibly frustrated and disillusioned over conflicts and futile arguments that had resulted from trying to dialogue with other professing Christians about sometimes-weighty matters. Well, I am slowly learning that for some reason, electronic correspondence (incl. Facebook) is not an adequate way to resolve conflict. Also, I am learning that engaging in these sorts of fruitless debates is too much of a temptation for me, and it brings out some nastiness in me which I don't want to foster or waste time on. A face-to-face conversation of disagreement, sure... but without the elements of non-verbal communication inherent in personal conversations, these "comment" sessions often quickly devolve into a sort of one-upmanship that I do not think honors the Name or unity of Christ.
So, I had decided to throw out the bathwater. Then, I heard a little cry...
Well it wasn't really a cry, just more Facebook comments. Only this time, they were kind. People — actual "friends", not merely Facebook "acquaintances" — were telling me that they would miss staying in touch with me, and that really made me feel cared for and appreciated. Furthermore, I found that if I could just say NO to my many temptations to "set people straight" (probably an impossibility in most cases, anyway), that I could actually enjoy some benefits from the FB.
So, in a sense, I'm back on Facebook. And in a sense, I'm not. For while I can't guarantee that "aggressive Ric" won't come out swingin' from time to time, I can promise that I'll choose my battles carefully, not cast my pearls before swine, and over all this, put on love...
Thanks for this thought-provoking post...although I do not have Facebook, the principles of choosing my battles is still very applicable. I still have much to learn.
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