Social Networking Buffoonery

So, you've had an epiphany or ten? Perhaps you sat with your yogi, your bible, your guru, your koran, your starseed, your torah, your zohar or chose to see a sign of some kind?

It doesn't matter how, but somehow you've figured out that you're part of the one. You may not even say it so profoundly yet but it matters not, because you're beginning to recognize that people are part of you, that they're the same as you, that they are your equals - and that the word "they" (referring to others) includes everyone, without exception.

So then, what is all this social networking about anyway?

Of course, I can see some wonderful qualities but I won't list them because I'm not here to dismantle the wonderful, rather the nonsense, the buffoonery within which many of us - even the self-declared psycho-spiritual-dimensionally aware - actively participate.

What am I talking about specifically?

Friends - the related selection process - the apparent importance and inner emphasis on the development of what exactly?

Some who are with you differentiated from those who are not?

How many of you have requested a friend and got rejected or perhaps they never responded? Or, how about received a friend request and didn’t want to accept?

Well, there is a way of seeing either of those seeming interaction scenarios and the entire apparent network in a gracious light. Let’s talk about it:

If we're all part of the one, what exactly makes a friend?

Wouldn't the value or definition of such a term come under question? Might the term even be rendered meaningless?

My child recently asked me if, according to astrology, she should get along better with one of her friends versus another. I know a thing or two about astrology, but just how exactly would you answer her?

Aren't social networks essentially an apparent adult version of the same attempt my young daughter seemed to be making - that is an attempt to find and apply some selection criteria for distinguishing likely friends from others?

Let's pretend you readily see the point at which I'm temporarily focusing, does that mean social networks are bad? Of course not.

When one learns to recognize that their true self may pick and choose to see itself through various lenses or combinations thereof, much like using a kaleidoscope on a seemingly massive scale that includes insects, plants, rivers, friends, families, countries, worlds, star systems, galaxies, universes, dimensions and beyond, then one naturally adjusts these apparent choices depending on the goal.

If your goal, for example, is to make friends (whether you recognize this or not), you must, at some level believe that you are lacking friends and that you, therefore, must somehow find these friends. Essentially, by having these thoughts about your identity, you are proclaiming your separation. You will then amplify these identity thoughts, projecting your sense of separation and lack through your seeing onto the world. Here is where the fog thickens intensely.

Since your core identity belief is that you are alone and lacking friends, you have relegated yourself to a specific identity location - isolated and needing to fend for yourself; the accompanying system of thought to seemingly assist you in this identity location is called separation. This system of thought then tells you - "Hey, we need to figure out just how exactly we'll find these new friends." You nod in agreement internally and begin fantasizing about the best looking man or woman, then you steadily add other criteria like 'how they think,' 'how much money they earn,' etc....

By your attempts to develop the perfect selection criteria, you are essentially further amplifying your original contention that you are alone focusing intently on seeing division, on differences - because you've got to ferret out these intended friends, right? What you've essentially done is invented a sub-system of thought, stemming from the original system - separation - but for what exactly - picking friends? While it is entirely artificial, it is real enough to you, and the accompanying experiences (pendulum-like swings from depression to anxiety) will support your contention of what's real to you. This is essentially how identity distortions manifest in social interactions and, of course, perpetuate your originating identity confusion.

note - I use the words like 'apparent' and 'seem' because in reality there aren't any choices and nothing has happened, yet to you, varieties of choices exist and experiences such as stress, depression, and other peculiarities seem to have happened and perhaps are still happening - but, that may be something to discuss in another posting....

I answered my daughter by saying that astrology is nothing more than a game, completely irrelevant and that she can get along with anyone should this be her apparent choice.

If you think this was about astrology, it was not. This short essay was about the phenomenon known as 'social networking' and the inner experience of relating to it - pointing to the importance of developing a willingness to recognize the value (experiential outcome) of any identity thought you have chosen to hold as real to you - and understanding that experiences always follow who you think you are - that identity thought. Astrology is merely one of a nearly infinite set of systems of thought that attempts to assist you with that definition - neither good, bad, loving, nor evil – but, because your power is nearly unlimited, you may quite successfully foster a state of utter confusion by simply (1) misunderstanding the parameters within which you’ve temporarily locked your mind and (2) by not questioning what you’ve done.

The way out is happily quite simple:

(1) forgive yourself because, in reality, nothing happened
(2) put no relationship with your equals above that with your source

And, how does one access their source when they’re recovering from confusion….?

Also quite simple: drop your definitions of what is real in any moment pronouncing that you do not know what anything, including this, means….therefore you don’t know how to react….; said sincerely, your mind will open....

Hint: there is only now….

-Nash-

ps - don't worry about the unanswered friend requests....or even those you may have rejected....in reality, self cannot attack self.....only illusions seem to conflict with other illusions......those you are supposed to meet, you will...; remember the universe is always and in all ways conspiring in your favor....despite your insistence on the value of your personal selection criteria...