Oh that social media shit talk!

What a load of crap talk there is on Facebook!

I am who I am, no matter where I am. However, on social media, I speak out, not just a little more, but a lot more than I do in person. Hence, a lot of people who I know only online get a one sided impression of me. Some even accuse me of hypocrisy. Most of the time, these people don't even know me or anyone else they bad-mouth on social media.

And yes, that persistent vegan/liberal/tree-hugger who is always posting applicable memes online is a part of me offline too. At home though, with the people who know me best, unless I'm being insulted, misunderstood or taken advantage of, I'm one of the least outspoken people around.

I will still stand up for what I believe at home, but in a somewhat more politically correct manner than I do online.

My personal relationships are no better or worse than the online relationships with people I've never met in person. They're just different. Therefore, if said internet “homies” and acquaintances are rude to me, I will bite back. On the other hand, if a close, personal friend or family member is rude to me, there is the love factor to consider. So, I may react with a little more decorum and reserve.

Now, some people may say that makes me a fake person. (The fact that my personality intensifies online.) Personally, though, I don't believe there is any such thing as a fake person. What there are though, is a lot of imperfect people in the world, doing the best they can with what they've been handed and generally just trying to wrap their heads around life and interacting with other people in general.

Now, there are a few online friends who have become my close personal friends too, even if I never will meet them in person. That's because we have like interests and agree with each other the majority of the time, which makes for a smoother relationship. You know who you are. These people likely get a feel for “at home me” more than the rest.

But honestly, if you only know my Facebook personality, don't assume you know me completely. You likely haven't had a chance to see my gentle side. I do have one. LOL I don't just preach about living with compassion and rage about/at people who are not compassionate. I actually do try to practice what I preach.

Do I do that? Do I really practice what I preach? Well, most of time, I would say that I do. However, we all know very well that we are human and therefore fallible. And so, all we can do is try our best. All of us. I sincerely believe that every person has a goal to live according to their own personal convictions, whatever they may be. I also believe that none of us will ever 100% attain our own idea of perfection.

So, every once in a while someone who thinks they're very clever tries to “prove” that I'm not perfect and claims that I am “fake” or something of that nature because I don't do absolutely every single thing that I support online. Truth is, just like everyone else, I'm on a continual journey toward achieving my personal goals. I will never be a perfect example of adhering completely to absolutely everything I preach about. That's natural for us mere mortals, I believe.

For instance, I would love to reduce/reuse/recycle absolutely everything I buy, be sure that everything I buy/do/say does absolutely no harm and generally live an absolutely peaceful existence and never get upset with anyone or make a fuss over stupid things. Problem is, that's the impossible dream, isn't it? There are many contributing factors I have no control of. I don't have the time to do everything I'd like to either. And that's a natural part of life too. You learn, you change, you grow and if you're lucky, a few of the things you preach about will eventually become a permanent part of your lifestyle. But, you do have to work at this stuff, no matter who you are. It doesn't happen overnight. Sometimes it doesn't happen at all. That doesn't make you a bad person.

So, just because you or I haven't yet been able to put all the great ideas we come across into practice or achieve all the goals that we know are right and commendable, well, that doesn't mean that we should stop promoting them. Because they're great goals and practices to work toward and adopt.

So, if you only know someone on social media, please don't be so quick to yell, “hypocrite.” In fact, you should really stop calling people fake or hypocritical altogether. Because you don't know how hard they are working toward their goals or even how they live offline. You don't know what is in their heart. And provided that there is genuine and sincere effort involved, that's what really counts, isn't it?

And what else? Well, you should give yourself a break too. Certainly you should be working toward your idea of what you would like to become. However, the fact that you haven't quite gotten there yet, doesn't mean that you shouldn't promote it or talk about it or get excited about it. It doesn't make you a hypocrite to promote doing the right thing that you are doing all wrong. Because it's still the right thing to do, whether you have achieved it or not. Ha! Who knew?

Folks, I really do tire of all the shit talk on social media. We are all human. We are here to build each other up, reach a hand out and basically, make life a little easier for each other. We are here to gently guide others toward a better life. And as long as we keep name calling, categorizing each other, discriminating against each other and putting each other down, we will all fail.

And yes, I do it too. I can be a shit talker when I feel insulted, left out or misunderstood. I'm not waving any outstanding goodwill trophies at the finish line yet. But that doesn't make me a horrible person. It just makes me a human being. I am trying, though. And I'm OK with that. How about you?