Sharing is Caring

I couldn't stop laughing when a friend put this picture on his Fb page. This guy never shares ANYthing about his life (I've noticed this about many friends in the IT field). If I know he's alive, it's only because a friend of his tagged him in a picture. But, I also know he logs into Fb quite regularly (he's one of my many silent-observer friends) and I understand why he put it up. We all have pet peeves. We are intolerant of so many things on a subconscious level and we reveal it with our reaction to Fb posts. In fact, the most recent news about Fb is that it can tell your race, gender and sexual orientation based on your Fb likes alone. 

If you're an active Facebooker, you have to acknowledge that the people you call your friends are as human as you are. People with children are more tolerant of the overload of baby pics than those without. People who have received consolation at a desperate time in their lives with an apt Bible verse, share their own Bible verses in order to provide that same consolation to others. People who love food, will constantly share only food-related articles or photos. People who are enraged about little girls being raped, will constantly share horribly vivid articles on the same, sometimes because they have come very close to becoming those victims themselves. People who have quit their stable jobs and taken a leap of faith in starting their own business will only share their business pages on Fb, in the hope that their FRIENDS will help spread the word and be a part of their success. People who do not believe in God at all, or who DO believe in a greater Being but have not come to any conclusive ideas on what form that Being takes, will also share THEIR perspectives on Fb. If you do not LIKE it, Fb has provided you with many alternatives to hide their posts or even unfriend them. I have lost a friend who thought me arrogant enough to know God so well that I should dare to share Bible verses on my OWN Facebook page. It started off as a chat on Fb and some lines I've quoted below are all by this "friend".

• "wats with your constant religious messages on facebook? its really beginning to annoy me..."
•  "you know nothing about god..you should not talk about it when you know nothing about it..that just arrogance"
•  "so how do u know what god will do or wont? how do u know he is listnening to your prayers and answering it..what makes you think your life and its everyday problems that you create is so important that some almighty is sitting and answering it...?"
• "you believe because you think you are so important...truth is you are just a part of life as a whole...you need to have the humility to understand that..prayer is just your desires spoken out loud..there is nothing holy about it.."
• "anyway..i dont have a problem with your beliefs..it really doesnt matter..you need to keep that to yourself.."  
• "dont have to rub who you are to eveyones face..."
• "you arnt that important" 
• "scripture is someones imagination written at the time when there was no knowledge of anything..you quoting that is like the blind leading the blind"

This experience with what was a very toxic relationship to begin with, helped me realise that I do not have to tolerate this kind of shit. I encouraged her to block me from Fb and she did. She may or may not have a point from a religious perspective. But MY reasoning is, if you don't LIKE it, cut that Fb status from your page or that person from your life - you have to balance your perspective on the matter with the importance of the relationship. Don't ramble on about how wise and enlightened you are when it comes to God, and how the rest of us are living in the dark ages. If something bothers you on Fb, the onus lies on you to take action. Facebook is a virtual world. There are many things human beings will tolerate from others face to face, but are ready to rant and rave about them indirectly online. That is unhealthy because the issue never gets resolved, and it limits your growth as a person.

This episode occured over a year ago and I like to think I've moved on. But on Fb I am constantly reminded of the many levels of intolerance, both admittedly by myself (I hide stories about children who are sick and dying because it easily depresses me) and by friends. Religion, tradition and ritual are definitely the number one target for mockery. Yet, when it comes to a social/family event like a wedding, these same people will walk into a church to marry, exchange wedding rings, wear a white bridal dress, tie a thali/mangalsutra or apply sindoor. If nothing is holy or sacred, either you should have the balls to enter into a committed relationship without marrying, or if marriage is required for legal purposes, sign the papers at a government office and follow it with snacks of medhu vadai and chai from the beedi stall next door. Believing or NOT believing in God does not make one an asshole. Intolerance and disrespect does.