Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp..
All great forums to keep in touch with friends are family.
It’s nice to update your classmates who you haven’t seen in 20 plus years on your first Born’s marriage or your new grandchild. It’s exciting and nice to have everyone share in the Bracha and mazel. On the other hand, think of our friends who are scrolling through the social media page beaming with jealousy because she was never blessed with the amazing privilege of having children.
Your cousin posting a picture of her twins, and describing all the painful, never ending sleepless nights.
Think of those girls who have been trying to have a child for years?
How much they would give for those sleepless nights! Or those friends that we all have, that are still dating, and have been for years, and unfortunately just never met “the one”.
The same goes for the young high school girls. Posting pictures from the birthday party last night, or the sleep over with five friends.
What about that girl who is sitting home alone all summer. No calls about sleep overs, parties, or any get together whatsoever. We all know people who can fit in any one of these categories. We need to take a step back and look at our wonderful lives and realize this is a Bracha from Hashem.
We are LUCKY if we are blessed with the privilege of having children, grandchildren, etc. Amazing that you are the most popular girl in the class! But maybe we should start keep these brachos more private. We need to take a look around and see how many people are suffering daily and to add their suffering, they’re looking at pictures of your perfect family when all they have is nothing.
These pictures are everywhere today. All over the Internet, profile pictures etc. in other words; hard to avoid. This is just something to think about. Put yourselves in someone else’s shoes. Hard to imagine the pain. Maybe each one of us can slowly make a difference.
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NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN
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6 Responses
100% correct. What happened to people’s tznius?
The author’s use of the word “we” is just as insensitive as those people who post every incident of the life on the internet.
There are many of US who are less fortunate. Those of US who have something they want to share, should do so in a respectful manner. But the logical conclusion of the author’s suggestion, is for people to not celebrate Simchas- perhaps there is someone who is not in the same position that it may offend.
Rather all our celebrations should be ones thanksgiving and praise to Hashem, such occasions should be used for a Kiddush Hashem, that He has graced upon the celebrants, and an opportunity to Daven that all of klal Yisrael should share in similar simchas. Such an outlook would surely encourage those who are less fortunate to not give up on their Tefillos (and understand that Hashem is in control).
I totally agree with these sentiments.
We should also stop making chasunahs. There may be singles there that feel bad.
There is a much more important reason to stay away from all this social network stuff. It is addictive, and leaves the user deluded that they are engaging in a real communication and human interaction. I have watched many get swallowed up in never ending communications, losing the human relationships they had with family, spouses, true friends. One can imagine the nisyonos of maintaining connections with those who are otherwise ossur as companions. I lack the scientific data of whether men/boys are more or less prone than women/girls. But the distraction is immense, and whatever else in life is more important risks losing its status to the Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Twitter, etc. The delusion is that being “liked”, “followed”, or “friended” is somehow real, and that this makes someone’s life better.
I recall seeing a video clip about a fruit that grows in S’dom. It looks like an apple, but it has only a skin, no fruit inside. Makes sense for S’dom. That is exactly what happens to a digital life of social networks. There is this cartoon of a couple retiring for the night, and the wife asks the husband why he failed to tweet her good night. The comedy in the cartoon is the unfortunate tragedy of many, many lives.
I wondered about the recent spate of issurim issued by various gedolim about specific social networks. Do we really need gedolim to make public speeches about emotional and marital suicide? Do we really need gedolim to make an issur against being stupid? Do we need gedolim to warn us about making our lives only shadows of reality?
The public flaunting of one’s simchos is not just distasteful in that those less fortunate may be pained by the sights. These photos give a false impression that all is well in that family. It is my hope that this impression is true. Sadly, there is close to no one whose life is problem free, and these displays indicate only a specific event and the moment captured by the shutter speed. Everything else requires ongoing tefilo.
May we all be zocheh to lives full of Divine shefa, and we should all be busy with simchos and every form of success. Let HKB”H be forever praised and receive gratitude for the wonderful chassodim He heaps on us.
To clarify, I agree with the author of this article.