A question of friends...

In the age of Facebook, or any other online social media, it's easy to amass lists of names of people who consider themselves as "friends". For some reason or other, at one time, you had something in common - maybe a game you played or a forum you frequented. So when that "friend request" came, you didn't think twice about approving it. At least I didn't. On Facebook, I have 302 friends. In real life I don't even think I know 302 people. But on any given day, in my newsfeed, I get notifications from what the most active of those 302 are up to.

Most of time, I read those notifications and move on. Sometimes I'll like them or reply in some way. Sometimes I have to bite my tongue and move on faster because I've found out that there are some real doozies in that 302. As I've said before, the events since the last shooting incident have really changed me in many ways. I think I have always been a very tolerant and open minded person. I believe in the freedom of speech and stand by that right. But my tolerance for those that use that right to spew hatred and intolerance has just simply ceased. This week, on Facebook, I have 302 friends...I used to have 305. For the first time since I started using the internet, which has been a long, long time, I have completely stopped interacting with someone. Three people, in fact. I thought about it for a long time before I "unfriended" them. It seems so silly really. Does it make a difference? It's just the internet. That's a phrase I have used on other people before when they've gotten upset about something on Facebook. It's just the internet. And who are these people to me, really? More than likely I would never, ever meet them in real life and my opinion of their beliefs did not matter a diddly squat to them so would it even matter?

Yet....

Their beliefs were racist. And homophobic. And hurtful. And I have dear and loving people in my life of various ethnic backgrounds and various sexual identities and I love them in REAL LIFE and I would no more let anyone hurt them than I would hurt them myself. So, allowing shit like that to pop up in my newsfeed and not do anything about it seemed complacent and almost as though I was an accomplice in their miserable dogma. I tried to reason with them. I tried to explain. But there was no use so, in the end, I did it. Click. They were gone.

It felt strangely good.

Easter and other like days....

I'm not a religious person. I tried to be at one time in my life. I was born into a Catholic family and have had nearly all the Catholic Blessed Sacraments. I sang in the church choir, served on the liturgical committee and the Human Service committee at my church. I made banners and decorated and kept vigils. I was into it for a while. But then I realized I was into it for the wrong reasons. I wasn't into it because I felt connected to it in any way. I was doing it for my Mom. Now, that in itself might seem like an okay reason but when you're talking about the subject of faith and fervent beliefs, I think there should be more meat to that bone. When I stopped to really meditate and think about it, there was a lot of things that organized religion did and still does that I absolutely cannot agree with. And I saw no way to pull it into the new age so that is when I knew I had to part company and find my own way.

And now it is Easter. Easter is a very special time for all Christians. The resurrection of the Messiah is what they've all been waiting for and this Holy Week, with all it's distinct ceremonies, leads up to the glory of this even nicely. I can appreciate the history and pageantry of it all. But again, I'm left with too many questions to truly believe.

So what do I believe and why do I get into the holidays so much? I mean, most of our celebrated holidays have something to do with Christianity. Christmas, well that's a no brainer...the birth of Jesus. Easter...his death and resurrection. Even Thanksgiving was a celebration to God for getting the Pilgrims through a rough winter. I love the holidays - all of them. And I don't just celebrate them in a secular way either. I find there is meaning in the spirituality of it all. And maybe that's what I believe in. I am a spiritual being. We all are. Whether we define our spirituality with the name of some organized religion or not, we all aspire to a higher being. God? Not sure. For some, God is very real but so is Allah and Krishna and any number of other deities. Certainly, they can't all be wrong. I don't feel the need to identify the higher being. No name needed nor any description or tales of great exploits. This being is within me and everyone I meet. And my prayer is that quiet time I take to just listen to my breathing and the beating of my heart. Each beat, each breath tells me to do good, be calm, take pride, go forward, live, laugh and love. And that is what I do every day but on the holidays it is amplified a hundred fold. The importance of being with those we love, to laugh, to eat, to just be in their presence cannot be stressed enough. It's good for our souls.

So, no matter what you believe or how you celebrate I wish you all a very Happy Easter from the bottom of my heart. I hope your day is filled with new birth and a sweet start to only good things!