People tell lies. This is not new news. People lie for many reasons. If someone asks me to pray for them, I don’t ask why. I don’t assume their story needs to be verified. It’s not as if they’re asking for money (in which case, you bet I’m checking the background story)! If someone’s plea for support or sympathy casts someone else in a negative light, I may do some digging. There’s always two sides to the story. We are supposed to be intelligent, reasoning human beings. We’re also emotional and biased by our histories. I try not to take sides. I’m not in a position to judge others. But occasionally I’m called upon to discern the truth. Sometimes I’m compelled to share the truth as I see it.
When I was a teen, my high school opened up a computer club. I remember declaring my hatred for computers. By the mid-80’s I realized that if I wanted a decent job, I’d have to overcome my feelings about computers and learn how to use them. In ’86 I landed a job doing data entry on a mainframe computer. By ’87 I was doing word processing. By the Fall of ’89 I quit my job as a stenographer and went back to school to get a degree in Engineering.
Soon after that, I tapped into the internet. It was not like it is today. We had Bulletin Boards and Usenets. It didn’t take long before I fell in love with computers. And I fell hard. I’m inherently a researcher and I’m proud of my ability to find all sorts of information on a variety of topics. It’s a blessing. And a curse. (I give a nod to “Monk“.) The Internet is a researcher’s dream.
I’ve been a computer-geek for over 20 years, but in the land of social networking I’m still a babe in the woods. Mommy-bloggers seem so tech-savvy, blending art and design, wit and wisdom. I am humbled as I surf some of the best sites out there (according to Babble, anyway).
I’m not a Mommy-blogger. I’m barely a blogger. I’m a mother (my youngest is 15YO, my oldest is almost 24YO) and a grandmother (my 4th grandchild is due in April) and a geek. I may not be in my element, but I value the social network established through blogging, Facebook and Twitter. Most of my co-workers are mystified by my on-line presence (although many are on Facebook, few go beyond).
I could wallow in my insecurities, measuring myself against the greats and finding myself lacking. Instead I choose to do my own thing. Hopefully my “thing” is a positive reflection of my faith.
Recently, there’s been another round of drama in the World of Blogcraft and on-line networks.
Last week a toddler drowned and the mom tweeted a request for prayers. As much as I’m bent on seeking the truth, I didn’t stop to question (or check) the background – I stopped to ask God to be with the child and mother. On that day, God collected the toddler up to heaven and left the mom to deal with the aftermath. Ours is not to reason why. Only God knows His plans for us.
This weekend, another Tweeter sent an urgent request for someone, anyone, to call 911…and she provided an address. I’m not sure what’s going on in her immediate situation but I found myself reading her “back story” all the way back to 2007. She didn’t ask, but she’s also in my prayers. {NOTE: in the 2 days it’s taken me to finish writing this post, Jess has posted an explanation…and her thanks.}
Another blogger called for support of a friend who lost her home and family to a tragic fire. She and her family are in my prayers.
There’s also the ongoing story of Anissa and the tremendous outpouring of support for her (such as this video).
Sometimes the on-line community pulls together in a positive and remarkable way. Here’s a post by a woman who can truly testify to this. In this post, she’s responding to the Twitter “in-fighting” that took place between the mother of the drowned toddler and a women who positioned herself as a harsh critic (she jumped in to judge the situation and its tragic outcome).
Back in October I found myself at a crossroads. In this world, people lie. Whether I like it or not, that’s the plain truth. Not everyone is to be believed. I posted my thoughts on several situations that were made public via blogs. When the truth is not obvious, the burden is on the reader to decide.
Should we all become cynics? Should we doubt everything we hear? Should we refrain from sharing our opinion?
I choose to remain faithful, trusting in God to ultimately judge the action of others. Lying isn’t new behavior, but the Internet leaves us exposed to a much broader audience in a much smaller “world” via our social networks. For myself, I will do my best to love everyone and offer my prayerful support as needed. How about you?
This is fascinating. I'm caught by curiosity. So you feel you are the truth seeker for all of these people and the consideration that you may be wrong is never offered.
That's not meant as a critique as much as it is an observation.
I gotta read more. Why do you suppose that you have so many problems in leading your children whereas a person of much smaller faith such as myself has had relative success. That's always baffled me.
Wow, I am even more fascinated than you Anonymous. So, you read a blog post by someone searching within herself to grow in her faith and self-awareness that you took to mean she speaks for the world..
I observe that you need to get a life and not be so mean spirited. Just saying, unless you are willing to own up to whom you are anonymous, you are just a troll.