"Despite everything..."

I'm becoming less and less of a fan of the internet. There are a lot of not-so-great things happening in the world lately. Now, I'm not a political person and I won't pretend to know every detail of what's going on, but I can say that you don't have to let it get to you and drag you down. There is still good in the world whether you choose to see it or not. Most people, especially the media, tend to focus on the bad and what's wrong in the news, but we tend to forget that there are still really great things to look on in a positive light. Yes, there's war. Yes, there's poverty. Yes, it's an imperfect world. Ya know why? Because the human race is imperfect. These bad things will always be around no matter how hard we try to fix them, but we can still try. There's no reason to give up and give in to the evils out there. You can choose to be a positive light in this ever-changing, ever-darkening world. Why add to the bad?

I feel as though all I ever see on Facebook these days is negativity about politicians, celebrities, musicians, public figures, etc. and I gotta tell you, I can't stand it. I remember when Facebook first started and it was a much simpler place. People used it to share pictures, update friends on the goings-on in their lives, share knowledge, music, movies, books, what have you, but now people have taken it upon themselves to use it as a platform to voice their (at times obnoxious) opinions, especially about politics. I find, more often than not, that it usually completely alters my opinion of these people. I can't tell you how many friends I have hidden from my newsfeed based solely on this matter. I'm not talking about the people who share something every now and then. No, I'm talking about the people who post several times a day in what I can only assume is an attempt to sway others' opinions. Ya know what? You posted it on the internet. Congratulations. You shared something that may or may not even be fact. People believe what they believe, your internet article or political picture is probably not going to change anyone's mind. Seriously, though. Why can't it go back to being a place to share humor and life events? When did it become a battleground? And why are we continuing to argue over the internet like cowards and children? 

We are never all going to agree on any one thing. There will always be people protesting this and that and yeah, it stinks. But the reality is that this world is imperfect and always will be. But we don't have to continue to tear each other down for sharing our opinions either. Posting political or religious things shouldn't even be a negative thing, but negative people have made it that way. These are the people who argue for argument's sake, who thrive on putting others down in order to make themselves feel smarter or more superior. These people seem to believe that their opinion is the only right one. If people would stop attacking other people for thinking a certain way, we would all be a lot happier. Religious people are torn apart for expressing their faith, get "yelled" at, laughed at, made fun of, called idiotic. This is sad. There are some Christians (or who claim to be) who are complete nutcases and make us all look bad *cough- Westboro Baptist Church -cough*. Those people are absolutely out of their minds. But because the media and internet put so much emphasis and focus on the bad examples of religious groups, people think that's what all of their members are like. Depressing, really. 

Ya know what word gets thrown around the internet that I loathe? Ignorant Sometimes I think people use that word and think it means something along the lines of idiotic. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." (name that movie) More often than not, when people are called ignorant, they've simply expressed their opinion and then get called racist, discriminatory, prejudiced, biased, etc. They could be incredibly well-informed, know exactly what they're talking about, but the opposing side will still claim ignorance because it goes against what they believe and it's easy to pull that card. What if I told you that someone can disagree with you without being a complete moron. Yes, there are racists and bigots, a lot of them. But just because an individual doesn't like you as a person doesn't mean they hate your race, your gender, your sexuality, your religion, whatever. Bottom line: everyone needs to just calm down. 

I love the internet and I hate the internet. It's incredibly helpful in so many ways but I believe that it is destroying society. People don't talk face-to-face anymore. Heck, people don't even talk on the phone anymore. Everything is digital, everything is electronic, everything is lifeless. People are so obsessed with telling people what they think about certain things that they're not really living their lives. People can't even stay off of the internet for as long as a drive down the street. Stop texting and driving, people. I mean seriously. There is nothing so important that it can't wait a few more minutes. It makes everyone nervous. You can live in reality for just a little bit and actually talk to someone and focus on real life. Now more than ever, I feel that we are failing. We are destroying ourselves from the inside out. And I fear that my children will have to live in a world full of nonsensical hate. And they will be living in a world where iPads, TVs, electronics in general will be raising kids. A world where an 8 year old gets an iPhone. Not my kids! I mean, seriously. Be a kid for as long as you can! Play! Step away from that screen! 

Just because everyone else is doing it doesn't mean you have to join. Be you, express yourself, but do it in a civil manner. Be positive. Don't perpetuate the stereotypes, the unsolicited hatred, the obnoxiousness, just live your life without doing harm to others. Have an opinion, but don't shove it in others' faces and down their throats. Nine times out of ten, yelling and forcefulness really just make you seem uneducated and uninformed. When you speak calmly, you sound more intellegent and people tend to listen more attentively. Be nice, be happy, be a good citizen, be a good person. Do what you can to spread positivity and laughter. I have a voice. I have an opinion, many in fact, but I choose not to force-feed them to other people. If someone asks me what I think, I'll answer. I guess I'm just a private person and I honestly don't want people to base their impression of me on what I believe religiously, politically, whatever. I want to make an impression based on my personality and actions. But maybe this is just me. I just want people to focus less on the bad and more on the good. There's still plenty of it out there, folks. Just keep looking for it and you'll see. Better yet, create it.