 |
| Image from this site |
These days, I have been finding myself getting MIA on Facebook. I only normally do it only during Holy Week which comes once in a year but lately, I have noticed doing it often. Posting a single update and no follow up the whole week. People may find it either weird given that I did not deactivate my account but instead I was just not doing anything. Others may say it's another form of "kaartehan lang naman" and for sure some would say it's a way of grabbing some attention .
But then, to me, none of those apply.
When I tried going on a one-week Facebook hiatus during the second week of March, I was just testing myself if I could stay away from it for a week. And while temptations act up on me and that feeling of wanting to just take a peak and don't post anything, I was able to stay away from it for almost two weeks. During the Holy Week, I went doing it again, ignoring Facebook from Palm Sunday until later afternoon of Easter Sunday. If other people have different forms of fasting and abstinence, this would be my share of it.
On the other hand, this week-long break from technology has its advantage. I was able to be productive, devoting time to do the things that I had either neglected or put on hold like the following:
- Having lengthy conversations with my family
- Watching news programs and Holy Week-related shows on TV
- Seriously reading a novel (38 chapters and counting)
- Making updates by writing on my journal
- Picking those sampaguita garlands found in our garage and putting them in the altar every morning.
- Quality time with our family pets
- Ticked an item on my bucket list by attending a Mass celebrated by a well-known priest.
Or probably, one of the reasons why I decided to temporarily shut down my existence in social networks is because I too get a feeling of being tired about it. I realized that while humans are indeed creatures of habit, habits tend to be tiring too in the long run.
I could not say the disadvantages of being away from the keyboard are minor. Within the week, two former classmates got married, a great friend's grandmother passed away and my best friend moved to another country. All those were happening in silence. But I know I could make up to it in a more better form of presence -- the one that is physical and which is more realistic. And if you're asking me if I would try signing off again in the near future, I would say yes.
By not going online on Facebook, I got to "embrace what is real". And by real, it's what surrounds you and not the ones confined in the computer screen. So if I were you, even just for once, have a break, get a life, go offline. Be productive and trust me, you'll do yourself a huge favor.
0 comments
Thank you for dropping by and taking a peak on my thoughts. This page is for your comments.