I wanted to write something else for October’s theme of Peace over at Begin Again, and my inspiration came last week. I was reminded of how easy it can be to get sucked into things like fear and anger, even downright hatred, on Social Media platforms like Facebook.
- Image borrowed from http://hellenjc.wordpress.com
There can be no peace where there is fear and anger. Taoist teachings tell us that Fear, Anger and Hatred are inner demons which must be fought with Chi (which is a positive, inner life-force made stronger by Virtue). I was thinking about the idea of Social Media and how it can negatively impact us and was reminded of verse/chapter 24 of the Tao Te Ching:
“He who stands on tiptoe is not steady.
He who strides cannot maintain the pace.
He who makes a show is not enlightened.
He who is self-righteous is not respected.
He who boasts achieves nothing.
He who brags will not endure.
According to followers of the Tao,
“These are extra food and unnecessary luggage.”
They do not bring happiness.
Therefore followers of the Tao avoid them.”
Places like Facebook are prime examples of how easy it is to be manipulated into these kinds of emotions. Think about it, how often do you see people boasting, bragging, being self-righteous on Facebook? There is a lot of fear and hate-mongering, too; posts that are designed to inflame passions, create rifts and sow dissent.
- Image borrowed from soulseeds.com
Keep in mind that there are plenty of things posted online that can be used to divide people — News, Social Media, Blogs, etc. All this “stirring up” is not conducive to Peace. Sometimes it is only when you step back from it that you can see the truth of exactly how you’re being used and manipulated and who is doing it. But you also have to remember that you allow it. Placing yourself in a situation where the inner demons will be provoked is not a good practice.
So be mindful. Be aware of how the Media (of any sort) relies upon your emotional/intellectual participation for it to be effective and how that can affect your sense of well being and inner peace.
This is an excellent post, Corina ~ I have a beautiful, silk covered copy of the Tao Te Ching and this has reminded me to have another browse through it.
I agree with you that fear and hate are being stirred up on Social media ~ not just personally but by Corporations and government bodies. Here in The UK there’s an emerging political party called ‘Britain First’. They ask us to share posts suporting emotive issues ~ mental health awareness after Robin Williams suicide, for example. But every share gives more power to this organisation, which has a mean and nasty hidden agenda. So many of my friends shared this innocently, without knowledge of the truth. Thank you for bringing this insidious practice into the open. Peace and love to you, dear blogging friend! 🙂
Oh I bet your copy of the Tao Te Ching is lovely! I try to keep it in mind every day, although I don’t always succeed. Life is much better when one tries to be mindful of what we’re exposing ourselves to out in the world and online in the virtual world. What we feed our minds is as important as what we feed our bodies and souls, and there is so much that is toxic to both out there! I understand what you mean completely about organizations and their hidden agendas…so many people mean well when they share things, but often it’s without thinking about things like agendas, or being mindful of the effects of those shares. It’s a tough call sometimes…is the message worth as much as the cost of sharing it? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
We sure are living through interesting times, Corina ~ I just love how the Tao is still relevant after all these centuries.