What I had for breakfast

I saw a post on Facebook the other day, it was a picture of eggs and bacon on a plate, with a cup of coffee and a short stack of pancakes in the background.  The caption was "Remember before Facebook when no one cared what you had for breakfast?" And then at the bottom of the picture the caption finished with "They still don't".

I didn't find it funny, because it was kind of mean.  People post on Facebook to connect, and mocking anyone's attempt to connect with other people is not what I think is funny.

But it spurred another thought for me.   I care less about your negative political opinions than I care about what you had for breakfast.  And religious bigotry actually hurts me.  Physically makes me feel bad.  I get a big lump in my chest when I see hate clothed in religion.

I have my own political beliefs, loyalties and positions.  Everyone has a right to their own political beliefs, loyalties and positions.  I have my own religious and spiritual beliefs.  Everyone has a right to their own religious and spiritual beliefs.

I don't mind when people post positive messages that convey their politics or religion, even if I don't share their beliefs.  Everyone is allowed to believe what they believe, and if I have an open mind and an open heart, I may learn something from a positive statement about politics or religion.

What bothers me is the negativity and meanness.  If the only thing your religion provokes you to do is criticize, demean and denigrate others, I don't want to hear it.   I don't want to see it.  It is actively mean to post things like that on a public forum like Facebook.

The same with politics.  If you believe in something or someone, if you believe some policy is good, and you say so, I may not agree, but I don't really care that you believe differently than me.  It takes lots of different kinds of people to make a world.

What I do care about is when people post mean or hateful things about a person or a policy because they disagree with that person or policy.

When I was growing up, I was taught that polite conversation should never include sex, politics or religion.  I still kind of feel that way.  Close relationships can bear the tension that conversations about sex, politics and religion can create.  A broadcast media like Facebook just creates a platform for hurt, and anger and isolation.

I don't often post what I had for breakfast.  I know most people don't care.

I do occasionally post pictures of food or projects, because I know some of my Facebook friends are really interested.

I post pictures of my dogs, because I love them, and so do many of my friends.

I occasionally post support for a position, or a community, or a person, or an ideal.

But I try very hard to not post hateful or derogatory things.  Because somebody cares about just about everybody and everything, and I don't want to throw hated and meanness into the world.

The old standard, "Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?"  is as applicable to posting on social media as it is to conversation.

If we could all learn to ask ourselves those three questions before sharing or posting something that may cause someone to feel isolated, to lose hope, to feel less than, wouldn't it be a much nicer world?

Social media has created a platform where we can all feel connected, where we can be less lonely and isolated, and yet, far too often, I see social media used to create more disconnects, more divisions, more loneliness, more isolation.

I know very few people care what I had for breakfast, but I care what you had for breakfast.

I care that you feel loved and supported.

I care that you are not lonely.

I care that you are not isolated.

Please think about all the people that care about you before you post something that may hurt them or make them feel isolated.

We all end up living in the world we create and support.  If we all stop supporting the hate, and the anger, and the meanness, it will die from lack of sustenance.

And I think that is more important than what I had for breakfast.