Facebook, a detriment to society?
While Facebook and other social media genres have often been labeled as a detriment to society and can be, to some degree, based on how it is used, social media is not always a bad thing. Yes, people often use social media sites to belittle others who have “done them wrong”. I’ve seen posts that simply turn my stomach, causing me to scroll on without reading very much of them. I’ve seen posts where people share a butt load of photos from places that I’ve visited, and I enjoy seeing those places again through their camera lens. I’ve also seen a plethora of photos of places that I’ve never visited but might like to someday, and I’ve enjoyed seeing those places in advance.
On the flip side of that, I’ve seen photos shared for faraway friends and family that were cute and funny and, no doubt, a real joy for those who know the people in the photos, but they mean very little to me because I don’t know them. In that case, I have the option of looking at every one of those 98 photos or simply scrolling on to something else.
I’ve seen videos of people singing a gospel song simply for the joy of singing it and sharing it with the world. Honesty compels me to say that I watch and enjoy some of them in their entirety, and I even listen to them multiple times, while others are short-lived on my phone. I’ve had the opportunity to sit in on jam sessions with local musicians that I would not have had access to otherwise. I’ve been privileged to watch videos of gospel singing groups that I know from Tennessee or Georgia.
I’ve watched and shared live-streamed videos of church services, and not only on Sundays; services that I was unable to attend due to the fact that I was at my church in Dutton, Alabama, and their service was in Leicester, North Carolina. I’ve seen live stream videos of Bible study, baptizing, and various other religious services, and I must say, “To me, those things are not a detriment to society.” If you don’t want to see them, simply do as I described above and scroll on to something more to your liking.
I’ve said all that to say this…I recently saw a couple of posts that stuck with me, and I want to share the message with you.
The first was a video of a very young child being taught to actually use an instrument (other than their hands) to feed themselves. My reaction to that video was a resounding “YES!” I’ve witnessed much older children in restaurants eating with their hands and making a colossal mess on the floor for someone else to clean up when the family leaves.
But then again, I’ve never understood the joy some people get out of watching a one-year-old bury their face in a perfectly good birthday cake and smear it from their head to their toes and from the high chair tray to the floor. Not only does the parent have to give the child a bath, but they also have to clean up the mess that was made.
Even when Jennifer was a very young child, she didn’t like to get her hands and clothes dirty. She wanted to use that utensil rather than get it on her. I threw her pacifier away at six months old because I could see it was about to become a habit that would be hard to break.
A couple of days later, she didn’t even miss it. I started her using a sippy cup at four months old. As soon as she could hold her bottle, I began working with her on holding a cup. Therefore, the transition to a cup and away from a bottle was not a problem.
I received these ingenious baby utensils that were curved just right for a baby to hit the target (their mouth) when feeding themselves. Yes, she missed the target sometimes, but at least she learned how to feed herself from a spoon at a very young age. I haven’t seen any of those ingenious baby utensils in many years. They worked too well, I guess.
The other share-worthy post I saw recently was also about feeding someone; however, this one was about feeding someone in need…leaving paid meals hanging. The post went as follows:
There is a little coffee shop where two people arrived and approached the counter. “Five coffees, please, two for us and three hanging.” They paid, took their two coffees, and then left. I asked the waiter, “What’s this about hanging coffees?” She said, “Wait and you’ll see.” Two girls came in and asked for a coffee each, and they paid and left.
The following order was for seven coffees made by three women: three for them and four hanging coffees. I was still wondering about the meaning of the hanging coffees until a man dressed in worn clothes, who looked like he might be homeless, arrived at the counter and asked sincerely, “Do you have a coffee hanging?” The girl at the counter answered, “Yes, we do, sir.” She gave him a coffee at no cost to him, and that’s when I got my answer.
People paid in advance for coffee that would be served to whoever couldn’t afford a hot drink on a cold day. This tradition started in Naples, Italy, and has spread astonishingly throughout the world’s cities and towns. It’s also possible to order not only “hanging coffees” but also a sandwich or a low-cost meal.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could all start doing this in the cities and towns where we live? Small kindnesses like this could impact so many lives in ways we could never imagine. Maybe we should all try it. Perhaps share this idea with the owners of local eateries and shops. It might take a while for those in need to hear about it, but we could at least try it. I’m sure it will catch on.
Bonita Wilborn is Managing Editor, Features Writer, and Advertising Manager at Mountain Valley News and North Jackson Press and can be reached via email at [email protected].
