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| 1.4 billion users worldwide but not in my world, hahaha. |
During the past six weeks, I have led a pretty much "social media free" life. When I first quit Facebook at the end of July, I tried to replace it with other social media such as Reddit, Twitter, Google+, etc. Because I don't have many followers on those websites, the news feeds and updates are not as abundant and frequent. I have not developed an obsession to check those websites regularly. Subsequently I turned to playing video games on my cell phone. Soon I also got bored of those games. Nowadays I watch a couple of hours of YouTube videos everyday just to keep myself up-to-date with the latest social development and new discoveries/knowledge. I treat internet as a tool like a telephone or a resource for information and entertainment.
My original intent to participate in Facebook was to keep in touch with friends and family in a more open, efficient and effective way. Back in the pre-Facebook era, I used to send email to friends and family whenever I was travelling abroad or an annual review at year end. An annual review email is the electronic version of a Christmas card. People seldom reciprocated my actions. I would have no idea what was happening in their lives until somebody was born, got married or died. It would seem to me that people value their privacy more than anything else unless they can gain from me, they have no desire of having any form of communication with me. I will remember this observation next time I am lured to sign up for a social media website
Perhaps because I have been "off" the workforce and mainstream society for almost a decade, I have forgotten most of the negative aspects of human nature such as greed, jealousy, competitiveness and selfishness. In many ways, these characteristics are accentuated by online social media. Since retirement, I move around constantly and do not have a permanent address. I have not been able to stay long enough to form stable relationships anywhere. My exposure to all these traits has been kept to a minimum. Facebook brought forth these long forgotten issues. Smartphone apps with broadcast messaging capability such as Whatsapp, Wire, Line, Viber, Wechat, etc. also provide a means for wide-spread rumours, gossips and fake news.
I do not claim to be enlightened; however, I have come a long way to where I am spiritually. By removing myself from popular social media and messaging platforms, I return to my former state of happiness and content. How the rest of the world perceives me is of little or no concern to me. I suspect nobody really cares how, where and who I am. They could be "better" than me in every way or form. I know who I am and what the purpose of my life is. If the Almighty has a plan for me, I trust that He would reveal it to me and let me have a chance or two to complete my mission. After attempting to communicate with the outside world, only recently have I learned the lesson of not needing or wanting to update my status or be noticed.
In the world of ME, I am the centre of this universe. There are no influencers or followers. I decide what I like or dislike. I don't feel obliged to belong to any group, political party or religious institution. I don't have to comply with a particular set of rules or follow certain teachings. I was molded to have strict morals and ethics which, when combined with my conscience and love for all creatures, should be sufficient to sustain me. I am and shall remain authentically ME.
