The Tragedy of Facebook

Oh the horror! I have been absent for far too long and it is all [or mostly] [or at least in the beginning it was all] the fault of FACEBOOK.

A person may argue that I have been a member of that wretched site for at least 6 months or so and only now I am complaining. This is true. The world in which I live is all to be found on facebook [all but a couple of really special people that havn't signed up yet, maybe they are the lucky ones.] I soon found out how many friends I really had and how many people still remember me or are willing to claim that they know me. It is wonderful when there is one website where family, friends, church, politics, events, parties, movie nights and business can all be found. I have been able to feel loved and included when sometimes I wouldn't have been, it was a dream come true.

As with all good things there is a reverse side. Gradually I was sucked in to these little horrors called "Applications". It started with "little green patch". That is a fun application that also helps you feel as if you are accomplishing something great by saving pieces of the rainforest. Here I could send people plants, receive plants that people would send to me and unlock new plants so that I could then send more plants. You get the idea. Thats alright, I could accept this one little time waster, because I was helping to save acres of rainforest, right? Wrong! After going for the "Little green patch" I soon added, "Speed Racing" where I could sup up my car and save up money to buy my dream car and race other cars. Then came "Heros Ability" where I gained the ability of Pirokenesis. Here I could attack people with fire attacks and become stronger.

I could go on, there are "LDS Pictures", "Vampires", "Chinese Symbols", "Dragons" and "Fairies", all of these are just pictures that you send to people and get more pictures and unlock pictures. Then you can join "Kidnap" and kidnap your friends in odd ways and unlock more odd ways to kidnap friends. There are also surveys and questionairs that tell you what movie character, super hero or any number of things that you could be. You can join the wars in "Mobsters", "Vampire Wars" and "Dragon Wars", where you attack people and encourage your friends to join so that you can be stronger and attack stronger people. And the latest application I've added is "Farm" where you create your own farm and grow things and take care of animals and send gifts.

All of these things take time and before you know it you are spending the time you would in a full time job, online with all of these applications. Those aren't even all of the applications, there are millions and friends continue to send more and if you don't accept you wonder if they will still be your friend. All of the pressure to waste more time online where you accomplish nothing.

I have now joined the FA or "Facebooks Anonymous". At first all I did was avoid facebook completely for one week, but the problem with that was I got sick and said "I'll just check my messages, no harm in that." Before I knew it my day was gone and all I had done was log onto facebook. I admit it, I am a Facebook Addict. I have now set up the organization for myself and will be attending my first meeting this week. It will be a once a week meeting where I will look at my addiction, see where I was the past week, set goals for the new week and read scriptures and such that pertaining to the atonement. Gradually I will turn my life over to the Lord and allow His great goodness to help me overcome my problems.

This is a Trajedy I allowed my life to fall into but luckily I think this story will end with "Happily Ever After".