I digress for a moment to discuss the importance we place on appearance in our culture. Take a look at these two photos -- the first is doctored up by Google, the second is my picture as taken:
Granted, things typically look better in real life than in a plain photo, so the early morning wasn't quite as gray as it seemed in the second photo... but no, I take that back; it was pretty gray, just exciting in spite of the gray, because there's snow for the first time this year! Even if the real thing was a little better, it wasn't as cool as it looks in the first photo. And that's fine; the first one is much more enjoyable to look at, which is what pictures are for. However, it's fake, and what bugs me is that we tend to forget that. So much of life -- all of social media -- is this front that we put up to make our lives look better and more exciting than they really are, better than other people's false fronts. This constant comparison with others and ensuing search for greater excitement can only lead to discontent. We spend more time trying to look good and appear happy on FB than we do simply appreciating the good that is already in our lives: no wonder we're unhappy!
Social media isn't evil, but I think that the times that we truly use it for good are the exception. So instead of pinning that recipe, bake it; instead of taking that picture, appreciate the real live moment. Get off your computer, turn off your phone: life actually lived to the full is better than a million quotes (in cute, colorful fonts, of course!) encouraging you to do so.
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Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now. :) This is just something that I've been thinking about this semester, and those pictures are the perfect example.
And now, in the spirit of practicing what I preach, I will turn off my computer and turn all of my attention to sleep. :) Hope you have a good, bright, snowy night!
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