A Lengthy Lesson

Last night while in some stupored state I updated my facebook status to "and my chain so pretty all these ho's wanna fuck it.". I thought nothing of it, and went around singing that line and those before it all of this afternoon. Later, when I came home and logged unto facebook I found myself face to face with a message from my good friend's Father,

"Remember who you are, and who you plan to be, facebook does not go away. Take care."

A year ago I probably would have ignored the message, and mumbled something about people tending to their own matters. But when I read it the only feeling that I had was one of regret. Not one of resentment or irritability. I wrote back that I was embarassed and that I would change it immediately but, even now I'm slightly ashamed. Not because of what the message implies but, because I would dare to put it on this social network knowing that those who are decades older than I, might see it and dissaprove. Not only that but, if I had been applying for a job, a college, an internship or anything else based on an outsider's opinion and they had come across my facebook page, what would they have thought?

Before I never believed that technology actually caused a rift between reality and behavior. Clearly it has. If I were in a room with some 347 other people and maybe three adult's, I certainly wouldn't have announced into a microphone at 1 am, "and my chain so pretty all these ho's wanna fuck it." regardless of whether 296 of them were sleeping. That's where the disconnect is, the lines of respect have been blurred. The problem isn't restricted to language either. There are photos of people my age, half dressed, and clearly inebriated beyond belief that adorn profile pages shared by their parents. Not shared in the sense of co-owned but, all the same they're sure to be seen because the same subjects of the picture have friend requested their parents and other such adults. Of course they'd never share the contents of their actual weekend at the dinner table where there'd be no protection or way out. But because they are shielded by the walls of the internet they can always blame it on someone else, or claim that it none of it ever existed. All of this could be backed by the click of the mouse to the "delete" link.

This isn't an attempt to condemn anyone. I've just been sitting on all of these thoughts for the past four hours or so and have made an assumption. Maybe the lines were blurred when a sense of apathy was clarified? Our generation has so much more than any generation prior to. For some of us there are opportunities presented without any work having been done. We're given education, excess of clothing, excess of food, and more than we could ever need, generally speaking. With all of this comes apathy and a loss of proper conduct in some cases. It isn't just in technology, it's everywhere, in everyday society. Riding the bus to and from school and seeing and old woman standing while a young able bodied man sits isn't a rare sight. Witnessing a young woman arguing in a profane manner with an adult with blatant disregard to seniority isn't unordinary either.

We are all products of our actions, and words. Our character as defined by someone else is nothing more or less than what we've shown them. I was lucky enough to be reminded of this by a single sentence from an Adult in my life who clearly cares. And I suppose that I've put this on the blog as a reminder to anyone who might not have that someone to catch them when they're slipping up, like I did.


Thank you Mr. Perry