Looking at the World Blindly

This world is one of deceit. This world is unfortunately filled with fakeness. This world cannot be taken for face value.

When I think about growing up, I think of food. Food is a huge part of life that nobody can deny. Without food, life eventually stops. There are family foods that nobody can recreate. There are traditional foods associated with different ceremonies and celebrations. There are comfort foods that are there for you when life goes downhill. And there are “healthy” foods that we are all told we need.

I used to be a dairy-aholic. In my family, the more cheese the better. Take a block of cheese out of the fridge, tear a chunk off, put it back and be merrily on your way. That was my upbringing. A pound of bacon for breakfast? You bet! I was oblivious to the truth.

As I grew up and got to where I am now, I have realized how blind I really was.

When we listen to the things people have told us without investigating for ourselves, we are leaving our entire lives in their hands. When we watch dairy commercials that promote the goodness of dairy and yet never look into the fact that some of the biggest dairy drinkers have the worst arthritis, we may end up the same way. The way dairy is designed causes inflammation in our bodies. The extra calcium actually leaches calcium from our bones, not into it. Milk cows have drastically cut their lives down because of the constant pregnation, something we fight to stop in third world countries because of the deaths and complications it has caused human women. Baby bulls are sent to slaughter because they are worthless in the dairy industry and treated as such from the moment they are born. Calves are pulled from their mothers within 24 hours of birth so as not to drink all of the milk that can be sold to humans. The dairy industry is disgusting.

And yet it’s not just the dairy industry. So much of what we are told is a lie. The media skews what it wants us to see. The meat industry will not let you into their slaughterhouses to see the abuse. The scientific studies are often revokable and untrue. Industries pay off publishers to post results that they want people to see. Our world is treacherous and ruthless.

So my question to you is this: Are you going to keep believing everything that you see? Everything that people tell you to believe? Or are you going to find out for yourself?

The Dangers of Social Media

Social media has been an excellent way of connecting with others, of enhancing business advertisement, and of gathering resources that you need. Social media (though there are arguments against and for it) has enhanced our lives for the past few years especially. But aside from the many dangers of children with social media (I could make quite a list), I’ve noticed a trend in the ways social media are being used by adults, and it’s not a good one.

Things like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the many other media sites have allowed people to express their opinions. It’s become a method of posting what you’re doing at the moment, for the day, sharing stories of what happened during the day, and has just become a general communication tool for sharing your lives with the world. I know quite a few people who get annoyed with us, but if people feel like sharing, I personally do not see the harm in it.

My problem stems from the fact about complaining. There’s a difference to me in sharing a sad story looking for sympathy and a complaint of how the world (or specific people) have harmed you. When you’ve lost a pet or a family member, I expect you to need sympathetic support. But if someone has done you wrong, are you not being just as wrong by posting about them?

I think it’s funny how the Bible says our tongues are “sharper than a two-edged sword”. The words we say can be some of the most cutting things. I even recently did a lesson with my students on how the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” That’s not true at all. I can remember some of the hurtful things said to me as a kid. I may not govern my life by them, and have forgiven the people who have said them, but to me it’s easier to heal from that broken foot I had than to think I’m fat for the rest of my life.

I just think sometimes we don’t quite understand the harm we do ourselves because we’re too busy looking at the harm others have done to us. If someone spread something about you, it doesn’t make it better by then posting something about them. It’s a circle; a cycle. The worst part is, even when you omit the person’s name, the people who are close to you will still know who you are talking about. So were you really doing better by leaving the name out?

The other thing is you have to remember your influence on others. Just because you have a problem with someone doesn’t mean that everyone will have the same problem with that person. If you continue to complain and focus on the negatives of a person, are you really trying to help them? Are you really caring that you’re turning other people against them as well?

The hard truth is, we all have faults. We all sin. If you wouldn’t like someone to complain about your mistakes and turn people against you because of it, then maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to post about our problems with others.

There is a huge difference between having thoughts in your head and posting them online for the world to see. You can still think the same things and deal with them yourself or a trusted friend that you know will ask you to question your thoughts and truly reflect on them, without clouding other people’s views.

Just be careful what you post. You have no idea where that post may end up or who it may end up changing. Keep things positive!