Through the progress and mixed blessings of modern technology, we have the best capability today of presenting ourselves as we want to be seen.
On our social media profiles (if we have them), we choose our profile pictures, posts, pictures, videos, and other presented characteristics that make us us.
We can even choose what comments from others we want to keep on the pages; we can control who sees what on the same said pages.
On other online platforms, there are “avatars,” “bitmojis,” and other images that we can generate to present digital versions of us.
In these representations, we can choose our hairstyles, clothing, and accessories. Even if we don’t actually own any of the items that we’re “wearing” in these images, we can still say “This is me.” Is it?
After all the painstaking measures one can take to present their online image to whomever they choose, are they really being honest?
If you indulge in this sort of thing, ask yourself — Is this who I am, who I want to be, or how I want others to see me?
If we’re being honest
One of the most dreaded requests that anyone can say to me is “Tell me about yourself”.
If I’m in a good mind, I’ll think to myself “Oh, I don’t think you want to know about little old me”. If I’m in a not good mood, I’ll think to myself, “Why? You don’t care”.
We know ourselves better than anyone, yet we dread and struggle with this task.
People love to use the word “confidence”. To many, that’s the key to everything. Want a job? Be confident. Want someone to be in a relationship with? Be confident. Want to get a deal and not have to pay full price for something? Be confident.
If anyone should show weakness toward anything, they’re probably not confident. They should have been confident. That would have solved everything.
I’m here to defend my brothers and sisters who have been accused of not having this immeasurable trait.
It’s not that someone doesn’t have confidence, it’s that most people reject that confidence and felt confident doing so.
What does any of this have to do with the topic at hand?
We spend too much time being something we’re not, or presenting ourselves as something we’re not in order to really just get through the day amid everyone’s rejection of our true selves.
Why do we need the perfect profile picture, status, avatar, etc.? Because we’ll get through another day and just
“fit in” for the time being.
Do we have the courage to not worry about “fitting in”?
What if we just perfected ourselves, our real selves, and spent less time getting the perfect selfie for the profile picture?
Now, I’m mindful enough to know a good chunk of you all don’t live this life, but it’s a growing tendency among those who use technology more and more, especially that of a personal nature.
We’re living in a growing profile picture society that is only proving to make our public selves more facade than reality.
Going forward
As I near the end of this writing, I’m afraid I don’t have any magic solutions to getting people to be more content with their real selves and present that versus an avatar of themselves.
One good place to always start is among ourselves in regards to how we treat others. Let’s not settle for getting to know someone’s bitmoji, let’s want to get to know them.
Let’s assure more people we’re perfectly fine accepting their imperfections because we’ve all got them.
We’re not perfectly drawn computer images flashing our pixels for the attention and adulation of others.
We’re real people. We’ve been hurt. We’ve hurt others. We’re sinners. We’re repentants.
Put that on a social media page and something will think you’re being negative, but it’s not negative. Humanity is beautiful.
An imperfect human, admitting his or her flaws and weaknesses, and asking for God’s mercy and grace is the most beautiful thing ever.
How would that look on a Facebook page?
Thank you for reading.
I’m praying for you.