Social "No-work"

Facebook. First, to the lovers of all that is Facebook: Calm down. I won't say anything terrible about it, nor you. Second, I like Facebook. I do. Maybe a little too much.

Three weeks ago today I got off of Facebook. I just stopped logging in. Stopped checking people's statuses, becoming 'friends' with people I've only met once, scanning dozens of pictures and chatting with people with whom I could easily have face-to-face conversations.

The idea was that I would stop getting on Facebook all the time, and start a habit of doing more worthwhile things more often. It's basic really. It's the Principle of Replacement, and it's found in Ephesians 4. A few years back, A pastor and friend of mine encouraged me to "Put off, put on." Put off the things that hinder. Put on the things that encourage. Put off the attitudes that undermine. Put on an attitude that raises up.

While I have spent a lot more time on worthwhile things, I found that it has been just as easy for me to do equally wasteful things. Just because I got off of Facebook didn't actually make me crack open the Bible. Just because I stopped checking statuses didn't actually mean that I walked across the street to visit a friend. But it has made those things more likely. Even if just a little. And not because I haven't had a choice, but because I have become more aware of my desire to make the right choices. So I did. I've gone on nice walks and drives. I've spent great quality time with beautiful people. I've started memorizing the book of Ephesians. I've just enjoyed the quiet. And I've also enjoyed music, having a chance to just listen to lyrics.

I'm not saying that Facebook is a hindrance. Well, not per se. I just saw it becoming too huge of a distraction in my life. It probably still would be. When one of my favorite bloggers took a blogatical, it was a real surprise to the web community because he was always twittering, blogging, texting, uploading, facebooking. What if that didn't lead anywhere? What if it caused him to miss out on greater things in life?

I'm a huge fan of the internet, and the awesomeness of the web2.0 community... but what if it was a hindrance to community? Ironic that I choose the internet as a platform for communicating these thoughts.

I'll be back on Facebook soon enough, I'm sure. But for now, I'm content to just not know when, and to instead focus on what I can do today instead. Like study for exams :/