Today I woke up and thought to myself, "Great...another day...Thank you Lord"
If you saw a post like that on a social network, would you think the statement was made with gratitude or resignation?
It's a litte hard to tell isn't it?
What if the statement looked like this: Today I woke up and thought to myself, "The sun is shining, the birds are singing...it's another beautiful day! Thank you Lord!"
It is a lot easier to see that statement is one of gratitude.
What if it looked like this: Today I woke up and thought to myself, "Great...another day...wonder what I'll screw up? How many things will go wrong? Ugh."
It's pretty obvious that statement is one of resignation.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of things written on social networks where you can't tell what/how the author is feeling. Chances are very good that if you saw the first statement and you were feeling grateful, you would see the statement as one of gratitude. However, if you were feeling resigned, you would see it as resignation. Or whatever other feeling or emotion you were feeling at the time.
What YOU are feeling...not how the author of the statement feels.
That's a big downside to social networks. You are not face to face. Unless it is very obvious, you have no way of knowing what another person is thinking or feeling. It is too easy to jump to conclusions. Too easy to assign your feelings to another person.
Social networks are a great thing. You can reconnect with people you haven't seen in years. You: can make new friends. You can stay in touch with those that live far away. You can stay in touch with those that live close.
But keep in mind that when you read something another person has written and it is not obvious how they are feeling/thinking, be careful not to jump to any conclusions. I think it is something we all do, and it is very easy to cause a problem where one didn't exist.
Just food for thought.
