It’s graduation season and that means that social media is abuzz with images of nicely dressed graduates and their families, all smiling for the camera … but we don’t show the images of doors slamming, threats made if marks don’t improve, or the student incapable of lifting their head after their face, their body, have been ridiculed on said social media, by one of their grad class.
We share our opinions on politics, saving the earth, and pipelines, yet fail to write our government officials of our concerns, drinking our smoothies and coffee in take out cups and driving petroleum-needy vehicles while using everyday products from make-up to purses to cameras to toothpaste … all made with petroleum.
We shower people with well wishes and greetings with we get notification of their birthday … even if we haven’t had any interaction since their last birthday.
We take images of our food, made at home or ordered in a restaurant that are picture perfect enough to create the mouth-watering effects that advertising companies aim for.
We post images of families, couples, besties all smiling and creating an image of joy, unity, health and perfection.
We document our travels, near and far, indications of our joy of life.
We post selfies of our smiling faces, alone, with friends, family, our pet.
We post quotes and images of people we agree with, yet fail to connect with people who love us … in real life.
We ‘like’ and comment on the posts of ‘friends’, yet find ourselves tongue-tied when we see those people in ‘real life’.
Though these public documentations of moments in our lives are lovely, in and of themselves, we all know that they are only a glimpse into a moment in time, not necessarily every moment in time.
These public posts are images but not necessarily reality.
This past week there were two famous people who died, at their own hands, driven by a mind that was (we presume) biochemically not healthy.
On my social media feeds I read quotes by individuals close to both Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain which indicated that recent interactions with them left them with the impression that they were happy, in a good space …
more fake news.
That which is seen is not always true.
There are invisible things, feelings, thoughts, which can seep into one’s mind and muddle the soul. Those who have experienced the reality of such darkness know that words do not help others understand … it is only being there, sitting in the smothering shadows that brings true compassion. It is only in sitting in those dark shadows with the suffering, that wisdom and comes.
In the past number of months, during a season of heartache in our family (and that has affected our entire family), we have been blessed by numerous private interactions, messages, cards, prayers and more. These have kept us afloat. Though sometimes it has seemed that only our nose is on the surface, drowning has been prevented. These individuals have sat with us in the dark shadows, encouraged us with their private concern and care.
May we all be gentle with each other, may we all be kind. May we not just ask, “how are you?” but “how are you, really?” May we not presume that because they seem happy and healthy, that is reality. For we are all dealing with the struggles of life.
“Therefore encourage one another
and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11
itsawonderfilledlife 