Day 183: Chain letters...

Well it's safe to say that today's Facebook "Shares" are yesterday's chain letters.  Go to your Facebook profile and look at all the message shares out there.  How many have "share this only if you...." at the end? 

Here's the deal, folks.  If the message you have to share is so powerful, why then do you feel you have to intimidate and coerce me into sharing?  If that's truly the case then I would argue that your message is just verbal diarrhea and has no real value.  Sure, many people might agree with what you've shared but did you ever think that perhaps the only reason why some folks re-post your messages is out of superstitious fear or guilt?  Is that what you want?  Wouldn't you prefer that your message stood on it's own merits and that people we would be motivated, ON THEIR OWN, to spread the word?  I consider myself a "practicing" Christian (to say I'm more than that would be to say I've mastered the tenets of the Christian faith which is impossible to do in my current form and pretty much a vain assertion).  I really don't recall any where in the Bible where I'm coerced into believing Jesus Christ as my lord and savior.  I'll certainly share my beliefs with you but to ram it down your throats, guilt you into believing, we might as well bring back the Inquisition.  I'll share with you my beliefs and my faith and all the things that matter to me.  But it's up to you to either accept or reject and if you feel compelled to share, then by all means do.   

Just keep in mind, when I don't re-post/share that Photoshop-doctored picture message, it doesn't mean I'm...

Gay

Straight

Republican

Democrat

Insensitive to our veterans

Insensitive to animals

Insensitive to the environment

Atheist

Christian

Muslim

Jew

Anarchist

Communist

Capitalist

Sexist

Voting for Obama

Voting for Romney

Voting for the next Top Model

All it means is I didn't re-post your message.  That's all.  I truly hope you'll accept me for who I am and not for what I re-post.  But if you don't, hey, that's your choice.  I'm comfortable enough in my own skin not to feel slighted or dismissed by anyone.  But please, do continue to share.  I like to know what moves people.  I like to hear about their passions and concerns.  I do learn a lot about people when I see what they post and it certainly helps me to grow as a person as I learn what makes the world go round.  I just ask that if you share something, do so because it matters to YOU and let others be inspired by you, not threatened.