Blog writing and social media

Wow!
I just checked and my blog posting frequency has really dropped off in the past few months.
Part of that is a decision to be less negative and just putting the keyboard aside when I feel the need to rant. Another part is a conscious effort to disconnect from social media a bit more and unfortunately that has also included my blog and some of the other blogs I read.
Now, rather than reading them daily, I seem to read them a few times per week and catch several days at once.

There are an abundance of studies that show how community and personal relationships add years to life and make those years more enjoyable. Social media and technology have had great impacts on the amount of personal relationships we have and it seems that we (at least in the US) are becoming more isolated, more lonely, and more poorly equipped to actually interact with other human beings.

I have to admit that I don't interact with very many people on a regular basis. There are many days when the only person I talk to is Chris. I can't say that I feel lonely or depressed or anything. In fact, I rather enjoy my solitude.
Having said that, I probably should work on building some relationships and surrounding myself with a community of sorts -- even if it's primarily to help others that do feel lonely.

I'm going to continue to work on limiting my social media time. I don't know if social media relationships count for anything towards the community building necessary for long happy lives or not. I do enjoy interacting with people that I only know through social media and sometimes wonder just how well we would get along in real life. I've met a few of those people and it's been pleasant enough that I would like to continue to meet others.
And I'm not quitting social media; just continuing to monitor and reduce my dependency on social media as a substitute for actual face to face relationships with people.

I'm also going to work on finding something positive to share on this blog and try writing more often. I know there aren't many people that continue to read out Out of My Hat, but the blog began as a place for me to just write and share some thoughts and maybe needs to get back to that.

It's the weekend!
Go out and interact with someone!
Build a new relationship or nurture an existing one.
Or...
...if you need it, enjoy some solitude!

John <><

Another cancelled ride

Ugh!
I'm going to cancel the ride for today. I actually believe that today would be a good day to ride, but I would have to ride home through thunderstorms on Wednesday. I suppose I could reschedule a Thursday doctor appointment and stay a day longer to avoid the rain, but the simple solution is to just drive the car.

Between necessary repairs, rain outs, and scheduling, I've done very little riding this summer.
Such is life.

I'll be able to listen to the radio, enjoy a drink, and stay cool and dry in the car, so it's not all bad. It's just not as nice as a day-long ride. I'll have to plan that for another time.

I know that while I'm driving today, my social media feeds will be filling up with more of the latest political circus and other stupid things. I want to give you an opportunity to bless me and my friends (both of them) with some good news today.
How about sharing a good news story?
You can comment here or on the feed where you normally link to my posts.
Tell me something good so that I'll have plenty of good things to read when I break along the way or at the end of the day.

John <><

Labels: When they work ... and when they don't.

I've been thinking about labels -- how they can collectively define us and how they can be used to divide us. I've come to the conclusion that we use them far too often to divide us and far too seldom to unite us.

Here in the United States, we are Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, whites and non-whites, rich and poor, Christian and non-Christian.
When did we stop just being Americans?
We worry more about what divides us than about the things that unite us. It's no wonder there is so much hate and fear in our country.

Unfortunately, the good people (Where's the sarcasm font when you need it?) of the church are no better and set a poor example for the rest of us. Evangelicals have labeled all democrats as baby killers so no true christian (lower case intentional) would ever vote for one. Nor should christians support the rights of the LGBTQ+ community because -- well, labels. And they're not us, right?
Christians have so many different ideas on how to follow God that we have hundreds of different denominations of Christianity. Some are so different that they are called cults by other denominations!

When the purpose of the church is to guard its territory/community/membership rather than share the love of God, it's easy to be afraid of what other sinners might bring to the table. When we are all interested in the things that divide us rather than the grace of God, we tend to point out the specks in the eyes of others rather than removing the beam in our own eyes and just sharing the love of God.
When the purpose of the church is to gain political power or influence then all heavenly bets are off and it is nothing more than a special interest lobby group.

Labels aren't always bad. Labels can be used to show the diversity of an organization, church or political party. They can show how much or how little it reflects the community around it or the people it represents.
Recently, I realized that I have been so very guilty of using labels to divide rather than to unite.

I was thinking about some of the people that we've been sharing life with lately -- people we've been worshiping with, serving with, socializing with. A year ago, these people would not have been in my social circle and certainly not in my church community. I caught myself thinking of them with the old, divisive labels -- a couple of same gender couples, a single gay man, a lesbian woman, a recovering alcoholic. While those label might fit, the simple truth is we are all just people that are trying to navigate life and follow the simple teachings of Jesus to love God and love one another.
In spite of the common ground of desiring to follow Jesus, I have a feeling that most of my old circle of friends would not approve of my new friends.

I'm going to make an effort to be more careful about using labels. I'm also going to try to remember that labels are a pretty poor way to define people. I think that most people would label me as a liberal, but that doesn't really work for me.
I'd say that I am fiscally conservative, morally conservative, politically moderate, and socially liberal. Though I tend to vote democratic (now), I don't generally agree with the extreme left and can often find good with moderate republican ideas (although moderates from either side are a rare find).

Please forgive me when I mess up. I tend to be a slow learner.

John <><