I am leaving Facebook for the foreseeable future, if you would like to stay in touch with me you can add my wife Valerie, reach me through other family members, or message me directly for my phone number/email (I will wait a couple days before deactivating). I think Facebook can be a powerful tool for social change, but I don’t think it’s the best tool; the best tool is direct community action. I will not be on Facebook but instead I will be in our community affecting this change every day promoting rational thought, tolerance, peace, respect, and education. I usually posted educational, political, or philosophical stuff intended to make people think, or show them a different point of view. As I leave, I would like to challenge you to listen to, or read things that oppose your current views and FACT CHECK everything that peaks your interest. This is not only very important, it’s also very healthy. There is no benefit in surrounding yourself with people who only agree with you; it’s only confirmation bias. I have traveled the world and have met many people of various backgrounds (political, cultural, socioeconomic, religious…etc.) and this diversity of views has shaped my opinions and it has changed my life. I can more easily see things from others’ point of view. As a result I am more tolerant, and understanding of those who are in different circumstance than I, and because of this I have grown as a person. The things I will miss about Facebook are seeing the pictures of everyone’s children and pets, and the fast paced spread of current events or news; I have thoroughly enjoyed that, but there are many things that I will never miss. One is the reality that many on Facebook (and in life) strive desperately to be just like everyone else. I never understood this line of thinking, and I am very confident that it’s some evolutionary trait that has stuck around plaguing our growth as a people. Other things I will not miss are seeing poor people working against their own best interest by spreading rightwing propaganda, talking trash about the poor (this really disturbs me something bad. I grew up poor and my mother worked every day but we still received food stamps, and benefits. Not everyone on benefits are lazy pieces of shit.), and the blatant racism that has shaped some’s’ views of our president. I remember a time when people respected our president regardless of politics, and the hate and vitriol that people have spread about this president (he’s a Muslim, he’s the anti-Christ, he swore in on the Koran, he hates America…etc.) goes far beyond politics, and it has made me very angry. The patriotic American thing to do after the election is to wish him success, because if you wish him failure you are really wishing failure on our country, and our citizens. In closing I wish each of you great success and happiness in your personal and professional lives, and I hope you embrace rational thought as a way of life regardless of the subject matter. May the force be with you! ~ Brian
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:02:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015