Jan
I love facebook. I’m somewhat addicted to it. Every evening, I check my email and go on facebook. What do I do on there every day? Mostly look at the status updates for anything interesting. Look to see if any friends have posted pictures. check for messages (which aren’t very frequent). But the best part of facebook is seeing a new friend request! Who could it be? Most times, it’s someone I may not care too much about, but what if it’s a long lost friend whom I haven’t spoke with and have been looking for FOREVER?
Now, here is my only issue with Facebook. And it’s not really with facebook, it’s more with how I let the information I see on there affect me.
I became reaquainted with a girl on facebook that I went to college with for one year. We got a long very well that year, but she didn’t come back to school and we sort of lost touch. During that year, however, she was not one to focus much on her education, and because of that, I didn’t expect her to accomplish too much. I know that sounds harsh, but that’s how I felt. She was a great person with very little motivation to do anything besides party, drink, etc. We got to talking (messaging really) and I found out that this girl, now a married woman, has gotten her bachelors, her masters, and is pursuing her PhD in some child related psychology or education degree. She’s lived on both sides of the country and spent some time ‘finding herself’. Wow. Did I ever feel like I loser finding that out. Here I am, with only a bachelors. 3 months after I got married, I got pregnant and haven’t seen the world or done much of anything.
Does anyone else do that? get jealous of someone you hardly know based on facts you see in print without even finding out if they are truely happy? I find myself comparing our career choices, even becoming jealous of the pictures they have posted on their pages becuase they look like they have more fun than I do, or their friends look more fun than mine, or they know how to have a good time. How completely SAD is that?
It doesn’t stop at facebook either. I have blogs that I read frequently and I find myself envious of the people that write them. Envious for their experiences, of their writing ability, of their following, of their relationships. I know that jealousy is a normal thing to a certain extent. And it’s not like I am jealous in the “what a bitch” kind of way, it’s more like I envy them but am glad they have become successful. I wish I knew how to take these feelings and turn them into a motivating factor for becoming a better person. I guess that’s what I need to strive for every day.
