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Tuesday, October 22, 2013

A Change in Perspective



I rag on social media a lot, mostly because of my own insecurities and how I choose to interact with various platforms. However, sometimes, goodness shines through the bullshit. 

My mama Dianne shared this experience on her blog: 

A few months ago, Kim Klassen, who writes one of my favorite blogs, revealed in a post that her husband had been diagnosed with leukemia. I have never met Kim or her husband in person, but have come to know and be constantly inspired by Kim's writing, images and the occasional email exchange. 
Having lost my mother and a good friend to this undiscriminating disease, I was filled with sadness when I heard this news. I know first hand how a diagnosis like this affects everyone. (I am sure most of you do too........) I wasn't aware that her husband was scheduled to have a stem cell transplant until while scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across this post by Kim's friend Myriam Joseph:



I immediately grabbed a candle and then spent ten minutes looking for matches. 
...
The point of all this is, here I was feeling a little "snarky" about social media when it was brought to my attention the power of the online community. Of course I wish deeply I could do more than light a candle and this won't cure any disease, but sensing the energy this simple act was creating, made me pull back, count my own blessings and send good thoughts through the universe for a friend and her loved ones. 
This is a small sampling of the 193 posts made with the hash tag "LightForJohn". 


Before I end, I just want to thank all of you for being part of my community. This includes my online friends and those of you I am lucky enough to be able to engage with occasionally in "real time". Participating in social media through this blog, Facebook and Instagram has definitely enriched my life and broadened my experience of the world. While it's not always perfect, I now have a stronger sense of the important role it plays in our lives and I am grateful.
I needed this reminder that social media is not all selfies and posturing. Sometimes, genuine connection and raw honesty break through the noise, and we put the "social" back in "social media." 

2 comments:

  1. I may have been just lucky, but my experience with social media has been extremely enriching. I have found new friends, shared good and bad times, learnt the strength of gentleness and vulnerability. They have been with me when I have been scared and when I have been struggling in darkness. They have made me laugh more than any other group. They have let me into their lives and shown me trust. Most of them I will never meet (a number I have no idea what they look like), but many are very real friends and their friendship has changed the way I live in this world and transformed the way I see it.

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  2. Yeah! Hip hip hurrah for you and your mama! Thanks for the inspiration!

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