Defending My Existence?
Should I be defending my existence? Should you? Do we need to validate our lives with achievements or awards? Are we invalidated, if we don’t have alphabet soup after our names or some big social media presence. Or maybe we need to just prove that we are worthy of life to certain people?
Social Media
The explosion of knowledge that Daniel talked about in the Bible is upon us. In Ecclesiastes, the writer warns us not to speak badly of the rich, even in private, because the birds of the air will bring them the news. What a riot. I think it’s so funny that we have this platform called Twitter.
But even for every average Joe, Twitter can be brutal. Social justice armchair warriors abound. Some are kind. Some …not so much. I like Twitter. It’s short and sweet, but it can leave a lot of ambiguity. I really prefer clarity and so, sometimes, in order to understand people, I ask what they mean.
Case in point: Live Action posted about poverty not being a reason to kill a baby. I chimed in and posted the photo you see above. It is one of me and my first child, who was born as a result of juvenile sex trafficking after years of child sexual abuse, domestic violence and other adverse childhood experiences. I said thank you to Live Action and that, “Bad beginnings do not necessitate bad endings.” I was ‘called out’ by Dusty who said it was some kind of commercialism.
Responses
I tried to engage in actual conversation, but ended up posting, what sounded like a justification for my existence. So, I deleted it. What do you think? It sounds like I need to prove something, right?
“Dusty, every single day, I try to plant seeds of hope in a variety of ways, from social media, a blog, interviews, meetings, speeches, donations, works of service, personal interactions, and correspondence to prayer and you think you could ‘observe’ that by a tweet?”
I pondered the reason for Dusty’s accusatory tone and decided that it was a misunderstanding. Sure enough, Dusty reposted again, basically saying I proved the point by not continuing the volley. I don’t think I need to justify my existence and neither do you! You are valuable because you are a person, created in the very image of God. You are perfectly you. I am perfectly me.
Present Status
Our present status is practically a vapor. It can change in an instant. Social media is so misleading that way. We say, “You seem like life is going so well.” only to find out that their world is actually falling apart. Or maybe the opposite, “…haven’t seen you online. I thought you were dead.”
All that really matters is what you are doing in the present. Right now and every minute you have, but in all the minutes too. The habitual behavior of our lives make up who we really are. Sure, we mess up and do stuff we are not proud of, but for most of us, the majority of our actions will be our legacy. What we will be known for and what will be said in our eulogy is seldom about one moment in time.
Dusty -isn’t it ironic that Dusty is pointing out how instead of sharing my story I should be telling people to treat people better? The Scriptures say that we are all dust, “from dust you came and from dust you shall return”
Context matters to most people. Why should someone listen to you? If you tell me how to structure my business accounting, why would I listen? Are you a financial advisor? If you are sharing strategies for coping with PTSD, why should I care what you say? Have you been there?
It does matter from what experience, education, or environment any advice or admonition comes.
From Past to Future
If you have any kind of past experience that became the foundation for a healthy present result and a bright future, I believe you have something to say. Conversely, if you are commiserating and complaining from an academic platform with no real world results, I’m not listening.
Dusty says life is terrible and the whole world is full of shame, guilt, and poverty. I’m shaking that dust off. I will not justify my existence and waste time explaining why I love my life. By doing so, I would have diverted my energy to a black hole of discontent. Instead, I did dishes and laundry. My family will have clean towels. In that small way of caring for those closest to me, I believe I made more of an impact on the world than had I argued with Dusty.
Armchair Activism
Online interactions are making a difference. I suffer chronic illnesses and spend time unable to do many activities, so it is a great responsibility and a joy to be able to participate in life online. If giving context to a lesson, injecting a true story will help someone understand and expand their perspective, I will chime in.
There are so many lies being told in the marketplace of ideas. Those of us who have come through some stuff are able to look back and give some hope to those who are either going through it or will be.
Pain is not optional in life. Being obnoxious is.
There I will not apologize and I will not justify my presence in the conversation and neither should you.