I know, everyone has something that really irritates them, and i am sure what irritates me does not irritate you…..but I needed to write it down. Just like non-capitalized letters irritate me (which if you notice I have a keyboard that only sometimes works properly and refuses to capitalize) I get irritated at people who attempt to make others feel guilty for the activities they enjoy.
When I am online, on forums, groups etc. often you will see these long drawn out emails or posts about how they have decided to take care of their family instead of being online so they will not be posting much anymore. They have loved the encouragement they have gotten, but they are feeling bad and neglectful of their family.
So, at first glance, this is great. I am glad they care so much about their family, they see they have a problem and are fixing it. But to me it is a temporary solution, if they don’t have the self control or the strength to take care of their children then there are other issues at play here.
If I wrote online and I said “I am really upset about the amount of time I spend in the kitchen, it is really draining my time away from my family. I mean, it is encouraging and all to see them fed and happy, but I just feel like I could be a better mother if i did not cook. So, we are going to put away the stove for awhile and see how it goes without food.”
Of course, everyone would laugh and say you were crazy, give you ideas on how to organize your life better, work in the kitchen with your children and other things so you could still feed your family and not ruin your life.
For me, the internet and the computer is a tool. It is something I really appreciate. I was very lonely as a teen and so instead of getting very depressed, I got several pen-pals. To me, the internet, properly used is like that. it can be a time waster, but on rare occasions, who says there is something wrong about wasting a little time?
Now, instead of wasting money i do not have on stamps, i can connect with people, use my brain, and utilize my time all while teaching school. Yes, i do not own a laptop, I do not want a laptop to carry around because I think it can become an addiction, but i think in some ways like the Amish and cars…..sorry, but the internet is the new way to communicate and make friends.
I have lived without electricity, running water, telephones, showers. Yes, I heated my water to wash dishes and hauled all my water in and out of my house. I know what the “simple life” is. But I think sometimes if we want to leave a group or not use the computer anymore, just don’t use it. Please don’t write me a long email about it. Yes, it used to take all day to go twenty miles on a horse, I bet they spent alot of meaningful conversation during that time, but does that mean we should go back to driving on horses? Maybe instead of making excuses we should look at our days and see how we can change it and spend time with our families, fellowship with our friends and balance it with modern conveniences.
And this is not directed at any one person….just a general rant.
I could not agree more.
I have seen those kind of posts over and over. My favorites though are when the person goes on and on about it, leaves the site, or forum or whatever and then returns shortly after. Seeing this taught me to that its always best to just bow out quietly.
I don’t let it make me feel guilty anymore. Sometimes the particular forum or blog has served its purpose and you just don’t belong anymore. That’s okay. I never thought it would happen to me, but it did, and then I was just glad that I had seen some others go through the same thing and knew what to do.