Social media sites do a lot of good in this world. They connect us to friends and family around the world. They let us stay informed about local news, our favorite bands, and newest movies. They also let us spout off our opinions to an audience of friends, families, and random strangers who are willing to engage us in conversation.
Yes, social media sites have a purpose and a place but, they have their limitations. Earlier today I saw a post that some of my friends were "liking" and "sharing" on a social media site. The picture was of a little boy in a hospital bed completely engulfed needles and tubes. He had an oxygen mask over his face and he looked very ill indeed. The picture came with a caption that said if the little boy got enough shares, he'd get a free heart transplant. This isn't the first article I've seen like this, and I'm certain it won't be the last. Before I continue, let me just say that my heart goes out to families in crisis, people who need transplants/surgeries/vaccinations/clean drinking water/a loving family. But, the sad truth is, that all the "sharing", and "liking" in the world won't make an ounce of difference. If you want to make a difference, you have to take greater action. Let me clear up how the transplant system works. You go to the doctor and you get told for whatever reason that one of your organs is failing/has failed and they put your name, blood type, phone number, address, and needed organ on a long list. This list doesn't go in order of who got there first. It's not that simple. First, someone else has to die or donate an organ. Then, they check to see what blood type that person had. Then, they match the organ up with all the people on the list with the same blood type who could be prepared to receive that organ within a very small and rigid time frame (because organs die quickly if kept outside a living body). It's not like these organs are sitting around in jars waiting for some kid in San Antonio to get enough "shares" on his post so he can have a heart. It is not a popularity contest. When you share these things, what you're really doing is playing into the hand of someone who either wants the attention or wants easy access to your social media account. It's a sad truth. Please do not mistake me when I say these things. When I see people who share these posts, I just think they have a big heart and they want to do anything they can to help someone in need. However, I also worry that these people are being used by someone so unfeeling that they are willing to exploit others to get gain. I also do not mean to discount the wonderful things social media CAN do for other people. Social media sites can be used to set up charities where people can donate money or goods. They can be used to spread "Amber Alerts", and missing persons information around the world in the blink of an eye. They can be used to raise awareness about situations we may not have realized before. They can be used to spread messages of love, peace, and religion. They can be used to spread hope, help, and life to many people. We just need to use it wisely. We just need to think before we click. We just need to do more, to love more, and to give more.
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So, there I was, having a nice lunch with my mom and sister when my mother brings up a topic very dear to my heart; poetry. She was talking about a particularly important poem to me and how a man by the name of Sam Brown, a fellow member of the church with many degrees and accomplishments, has a particularly controversial view of the poem "Footprints in the Sand" in an excerpt of a book published online (you can see this excerpt here: http://bycommonconsent.com/2014/11/18/beaches-and-footprints/).
Now, in writing this I do not mean to distract from Mr. Browns rights to his opinions. However, since Mr. Brown feels the need to express his controversial opinions about such an inspiring and common poem, I feel I have the right and the duty to defend it. In his excerpt, Mr. Brown calls the poem "misleading", stating that the man who looks back and sees that at the most difficult points in his life there was only one set of footprints representing the Savior is misleading because we will have seen many footprints representing our church leaders and neighbors (http://bycommonconsent.com/2014/11/18/beaches-and-footprints/). My issue here is that the poem is a metaphor. Of course there are hundreds of people in our lives who carry us and influence us however, all those people are doing the work of Christ (whether they know it or not). My other issue with his claim is that there are times in our lives where many of us experience personal and private walks with the savior. No one knows but God and ourselves and in those times we are still carried. We are never alone, even when we have been abandoned by everyone around us. Heavenly Father is still there. The Savior doesn't leave us just because there is no one physically standing beside us. He is still there. He still carries us. My second issue with Mr. Brown's article is his lack of sensitivity for those with mental illness. Toward the end of his article, he implies that those with mental illnesses do not help to carry their fellow man (http://bycommonconsent.com/2014/11/18/beaches-and-footprints/). I take great offense at this comment. I have worked with many special needs kids in my lifetime and they are some of the hardest workers Heavenly Father has on this Earth. They carried me when I was at my lowest. They were examples of pure Christlike love and unfaltering service. They were little angels sent by God to carry me through the hardest points in my life, and anyone who does not understand this statement should go and work with them. Go and be around them just for a short while and they will learn more of Heavenly Father's love than they will in a lifetime of church attendance. In short, Mr. Brown has a lot of knowledge but I think he misunderstands the purpose, the ideal, and the spirit of this poem and he certainly has no grasp of the importance of every one of God's children. |