Do you have nostril hair? Or maybe you have orange colored handkerchiefs? If yes, you may repost this!!! If you don't .... read what will happen to you at the end of this note!
With due respect to individual feelings and emotions, I refuse to re-post anything that is to do with illness, diseases, love for a family member, cause, revolution etc ....
Re-post something and anything - why??? This is specifically about the "re-post" messages and not about individual status messages or facts that are published on social networking sites.
Reason???
Honestly and realistically speaking, I don't and can't feel what the other person has gone through. The pain and the agony can only be imagined, sometimes! We may empathize, sympathize and care! Sometimes we are a part of the support group and that's the best we can do - SUPPORT. And, how? By being there. Not by saying things on social networking sites.
My aunt is a cancer survivor, but I will not re-post anything related to cancer, cos I don't understand the pain. The grueling chemo sessions and the fear of death. I have seen her beautiful hair go away! And she is happy and healthy today. Will my love for her or my concern about her illness change if I don't post something on a site?
I lived 29 years of my life with a spastic brother. Spastic children, during those days and to a great extent even now, are ridiculed. People imitated his walk, his way of talking, imitated his mannerisms and we had to consistently remind Vinod that the world was such! There were good number of people who never even spoke to him. If he wished someone, they would look through him and walk away. In public places, no one would walk up to us to help him out if we needed it. And a greater part of the world's population is still ignorant about these kind of health issues. By putting up a post on special needs children, do we really help them? How many of those would spend 30 minutes of their time in a month, just talking to a special needs kid?
And, at the same time, there were friends and family members, who understood him! Who cared, nurtured and loved him deeply. There was no FB at that time, no blogging and no other way of communicating how they felt for Vinod; yet they gave whatever best they could offer. No one felt the need to show their empathy or love on a public forum.
How much do we really study and understand things before re-posting?
During Anna's 'anshan', at least 50-60% of the people I spoke with, didn't fully understand the cause they were supporting. They didn't know what Lokpal is all about! And yet were screaming their lungs out to convince me otherwise. Its fair to show support, but without knowing the actual cause, we may be adding to the problem.
Another instance is 'Re-post this if you love your dad/mom/dog/teacher/cat/aunt/uncle/friend/sister/brother/maids/drivers/postman/pizza delivery man....'. And why should I re-post something exactly the way its written, I could feel more or less or feel differently.
Initially when this fever started on FB, I may have participated out of excitement. After two or three such re-posts, I began to think! Why! Like I said earlier, I think too much :D
The other most irritable chain mail is 'Do this ....... or you shall be cursed! No alcohol and sex for the rest of your life!' Gosh!!! I have been very rude to some of them and have asked them to remove my name from the distribution list. And if a mail is really sweet, it is edited to remove the curse nonsense, before forwarding it!
There is a very fine line between having faith and turning superstitious. The most educated and aware fall prey to these kind of chain mails. Its astonishing.
Why on earth are we spending our precious time supporting people and causes, virtually? There are better ways of showing support and extending help! Is luck on my side just because I send the sms to 10 friends and help increase the telco service providers revenues? We are sometimes not even half an ounce considerate about another human being, but can shout on FB to show we care!
Like Jaago Re says - Soch badlo :)
No one will be cursed, if you don't re-post this!!
Have a great week, guys!
With due respect to individual feelings and emotions, I refuse to re-post anything that is to do with illness, diseases, love for a family member, cause, revolution etc ....
Re-post something and anything - why??? This is specifically about the "re-post" messages and not about individual status messages or facts that are published on social networking sites.
Reason???
Honestly and realistically speaking, I don't and can't feel what the other person has gone through. The pain and the agony can only be imagined, sometimes! We may empathize, sympathize and care! Sometimes we are a part of the support group and that's the best we can do - SUPPORT. And, how? By being there. Not by saying things on social networking sites.
My aunt is a cancer survivor, but I will not re-post anything related to cancer, cos I don't understand the pain. The grueling chemo sessions and the fear of death. I have seen her beautiful hair go away! And she is happy and healthy today. Will my love for her or my concern about her illness change if I don't post something on a site?
I lived 29 years of my life with a spastic brother. Spastic children, during those days and to a great extent even now, are ridiculed. People imitated his walk, his way of talking, imitated his mannerisms and we had to consistently remind Vinod that the world was such! There were good number of people who never even spoke to him. If he wished someone, they would look through him and walk away. In public places, no one would walk up to us to help him out if we needed it. And a greater part of the world's population is still ignorant about these kind of health issues. By putting up a post on special needs children, do we really help them? How many of those would spend 30 minutes of their time in a month, just talking to a special needs kid?
And, at the same time, there were friends and family members, who understood him! Who cared, nurtured and loved him deeply. There was no FB at that time, no blogging and no other way of communicating how they felt for Vinod; yet they gave whatever best they could offer. No one felt the need to show their empathy or love on a public forum.
How much do we really study and understand things before re-posting?
During Anna's 'anshan', at least 50-60% of the people I spoke with, didn't fully understand the cause they were supporting. They didn't know what Lokpal is all about! And yet were screaming their lungs out to convince me otherwise. Its fair to show support, but without knowing the actual cause, we may be adding to the problem.
Another instance is 'Re-post this if you love your dad/mom/dog/teacher/cat/aunt/uncle/friend/sister/brother/maids/drivers/postman/pizza delivery man....'. And why should I re-post something exactly the way its written, I could feel more or less or feel differently.
Initially when this fever started on FB, I may have participated out of excitement. After two or three such re-posts, I began to think! Why! Like I said earlier, I think too much :D
The other most irritable chain mail is 'Do this ....... or you shall be cursed! No alcohol and sex for the rest of your life!' Gosh!!! I have been very rude to some of them and have asked them to remove my name from the distribution list. And if a mail is really sweet, it is edited to remove the curse nonsense, before forwarding it!
There is a very fine line between having faith and turning superstitious. The most educated and aware fall prey to these kind of chain mails. Its astonishing.
Why on earth are we spending our precious time supporting people and causes, virtually? There are better ways of showing support and extending help! Is luck on my side just because I send the sms to 10 friends and help increase the telco service providers revenues? We are sometimes not even half an ounce considerate about another human being, but can shout on FB to show we care!
Like Jaago Re says - Soch badlo :)
No one will be cursed, if you don't re-post this!!
Have a great week, guys!
Totally agree.
ReplyDeleteHi! Hirinder, Well said....
ReplyDeleteYou write really well. I came across your older post on salaam Zindagi...has these been your first time writtng experiences?
"Yes, I am NOT superstitious (cross my fingers) :-)
ReplyDeleteI agree. Mindless re-posting, and attempted emotional blackmail to make others feel guilty if they do not re-post, is exactly what breaks communications down. When I see such re-posts, my first reaction is "Here goes... this person too ? I thought she/he would know better..."
I am NOT re-posting this. And I do NOT have nostril hair. I plucked it all out long ago in exasperation at reading re-posted tripe.
Hirinder here is my answer to this spam and reposting, had written it sometime ago...
ReplyDeletehttp://aknowledgebrokersdiary.blogspot.com/2011/02/dont-complain-you-have-spam.html
Best is not to be party to spamming/ reposting as you rightly said.
Prajakta - have been writing intermittently since I was 17. Left it in between! Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteThanks all!