Get Out of My Own Face...

The world is full of stuff.

Tentatively, I label that a fair assessment. Heck, the world IS stuff. And maybe that stuff is stuff (I got an A in Physics GCSE but a sub-molecular whizz I am not sadly, so I'll stop here) But the world is full of stuff.
Beautiful and ugly stuff.
Old and new stuff.
Interesting stuff and boring stuff.
Common stuff and uncommon stuff.
Ancient stuff and modern stuff.
Planned stuff and spontaneous stuff.
Sinful stuff and virtuous stuff.
Material stuff and immaterial stuff.
Big stuff and little stuff.
Stuff I've mentioned and stuff I haven't.
And it's all there, it's all happening. It's being written down, filmed, sung about, reported on, lived. It's wonderful, I just LOVE it!

And so little of it is happening on Facebook.

Facebook is an incredible social and communication revolution, but I spend far too much time on it. I only have myself to blame really. I'm not an addict, you probably aren't either. I just feel like it's robbing me of time and experience. Much as I love all of my friends, communicating and bantering with them online, it's just not enough. Lots of us teenagers talk about how it's going to result in us failing our exams (maybe...) and lots of people talk about how it's "disintegrating the fabric of society" or "distancing us from reality", but for me at least it's more than that.

There are some people whom I truly admire as creative minds. The one that springs to mind right now is Christian blogger Jon Acuff (he's a true legend, check out his blog- Stuff Christians Like) I've heard him and other creative minds say that the more you read, watch, listen, talk and live your life then the more ideas you will have, the more creativity will be stimulated.

Creativity is one of the most wonderful gifts God has given us humans. It's part of being "made in His image". Is it a sin to stifle that? I don't know. But you're certainly not living life as fully as God wants you too.

And spending regular amounts of time on Facebook- waiting for status updates, joining pointless groups, stalking- robs you of creative input. There's so much else going on. You don't necessarily even have to leave the computer right away! Sometimes, I have the feeling Facebook is slowly dying. Do you know what I mean? Any real excitement or love for it has faded away. I don't feel that way about Twitter or Tumblr and some other social media sites. A lot of the time, they're abuzz with creativity, ideas, suggestions, interesting links and other stuff.

So I want to read more books. Pursue more fascinatinglinks, web pages and articles. Listen to more music on a deeper level. Have more phone calls. Go outside more. Doodle more. Watch more exciting and interesting TV. Have some constructive dialogue and debate with people. Come across new ideas. Mull over challenging theology. Learn to cook more than pasta. Read my Bible more. Pray more. So from now on, I AM CUTTING DOWN! Not by a specific, rigorous amount. But I am. And if you want to monitor me, or tell me to get off when I am on, please do!

You're probably not addicted to Facebook- but how much time DO you spend on it? Forgetting about failing your exams or whatever, is it robbing you of having a creative mind? From appreciating the world around you? Why don't you give it a go too? Let the creative juices flow! Flex your brain muscles! Work up a sweat of appreciation!