How Being Called Out On Facebook Reminded Me I’ve Earned The Right To Be Here
Vol 2, №4
After last week’s post here I was called out on Facebook by a long-time acquaintance for “being so much into yourself (myself) it makes me sad.” It cut me to the quick, and my immediate reaction was swift and less-than-loving: I blasted him with what I really thought of him, a guy who’d bragged about his $millions inheritance (for whom I was happy at time); now a guy who monitors FB & IG all day, every day from what I can see. Of course, my next step was to de-friend him. I mean, I was so stunned by the hostile stupidity of his comment, it was the best ‘that’ll show you’ I could muster. He’d completely missed my intent to help make it easier for us ol’ guys to live our best lives.
I re-read my posts to see if he could be right; and sure, I write about my experiences but not in a boastful spirit. I reconsidered my posting voice. And then it struck me: did I really care about what he had to say about me? He’d not contributed in any way shape or form to the summer of love I’ve just experienced, nor to my happiness or well-being or that of my family at any point of our 30-year acquaintance. He was just part of a gang in which I’d felt a need to belong.
You see, as older adults it’s all too easy to feel minimized in a world geared to those in generations behind you; agism is not covert, it’s in your face and it can make you loose confidence in yourself. The need to ‘belong’ can ….
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