The Church of Facebook

Religion. Yeah I said it. It's out there and I have found it. Call Mark Zuckerberg what you want. Many do not have kind words for this guy because he founded a revolutionary medium for millions of people to network socially and professionally via ill-intentioned means. He was a computer programmer scorned, the second greatest fury that hell hath no.....But he has turned that vengeful act into one of the biggest communication ventures in our history and millions of us are benefitting from it, for free. It's brilliant. Use it for bad, and lives are ruined. Use if for good and people like me are no longer exiled and isolated from a world of friends that lives and skis and kayaks and travels and raises kids just down the street. And thanks to Steve Jobs, may he rest in eternal peace, I get to view it on a snappy, little operating system with a big beautiful screen. Facebook is a way to reach hundreds of people you know, you knew in high school, you knew in college, you knew in your first job, or the people you went down the river with in 1993. It is also a way for me to share my life with others, the cool trips and photos we've taken around the world, the river adventures, the soccer games and the martial arts tests we've done. It is a way to tell people where you stand on issues, to express your political views and for sharing differing points of view. It is also a place to find inspiration, divine if you will.

Despite being convinced I've been there a few times already, I do not believe in Hell. I do not believe that there is a purgatory that awaits corrupted souls to punish them for all of eternity. I'll probably burn for that but really? With all of the love and joy in this world and the human kindness that exists globally, I cannot believe that a single human being, faced with their own end will pass to the next life without one shred of goodness. Granted, there are evil people out there and I have had impure thoughts for some, but sending them to eternal hell is not the answer for a species that thrives on positive spirit. Besides, eternity is a really long time and hell exists right here on Earth. You can dabble in Hell all you want without having to go "down" to the fiery furnace below. Later, you can repent your evil ways and be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven, find enlightment, take your seat next to Allah or come back as an elephant on your way to Nirvana.....That's the really good part about religion. Make a comeback, accept Jesus into your soul and BAM! You are in. That is an awesome escape clause, one of which I am counting on.

In the last few months, my life has taken an obvious turn and my mortality has been dangled out in front of me like a carrot on a string. I'm not even close to looking into the abyss and already, I have had some big conversations about what the end of my life might look like. Do not misunderstand that I have any intention of going in for a closer look. I am here to stay for awhile and thrive in the glory of heaven on Earth known as social networking. Yeah, I said it. Heaven. THAT I am sure exists because that too, is right here on Earth and is represented by the collective consciousness of hundreds of people sending positive inspiring thoughts in the same direction.....in my case, via Facebook. The outpouring of kindness I have received is overwhelming. Old school friends, ski racing friends, river friends, soccer friends, new martial arts friends, nursing and work friends, have all chimed in to say, "Hey, we're thinking of you, sending you good wishes, thought and prayers and standing behind you while your life changes in ways you didn't anticipate." And I swear I FEEL it. How do I know? Because every other Tuesday when I go for chemo, I feel great. Yep, great. I feel like there is energy flowing in my direction and it gives me so much courage, and lifts me up in ways I cannot explain. In return for this gift, I feel it is absolutely necessary to find whatever good there is in this experience and to send it back in the spirit of the Physics law of conservation of energy where energy is neither created nor destroyed but transformed to one form or another and transferred. I can do this via social media, and in return, it makes me feel better about myself. It's like a twofer really.

Here is a thing about people with certain illnesses. Whether they have Cancer or an auto-immune disease or any disease that affects the way they fight infection, it is dangerous and difficult for them to leave their home or inner circle at certain times throughout their illness because it can mean the difference between life and death. They have no ability to fight an opportunistic infection that regularly healthy people can fight. Expose a cancer patient receiving chemo to the flu and it's curtains. One little sniffle or cough can mean a hospital visit and a hospital visit can expose them to REALLY bad stuff. The idea is to stay away from hospitals when your immunity is in the tank and the safe bet is not to go where the germs are flying around in search of the weak animal in the herd. Let me just add a little sidebar that modern medicine has created a magical new drug that inspires your blood cells to give your immunity a bump. It's called Neulasta or Pegfilgrastim. It's produced by Amgen and at $9000 per injection, it's worth every penny. It will literally save my life..... as long as I don't do anything stupid like lick the bottom of someone's shoe. But, I'm off topic.....again. Throw in a nasty case of fatigue with compromised immunity, and a trip to the grocery store is an event that can require a 3 hour nap for recovery, best done in the confines of one's own fluffy, bed. The fact is, these patients don't leave their homes much, if at all which can be isolating. People don't visit for fear of passing on a bug or a germ that might be cataclysmic for their friend. It can cause a nasty case of depression for a social butterfly such as myself. I must interact, share ideas, impart my limited wisdom and make at least one social blunder on a regular basis. I can do this with Facebook and email, and with the new mobile technologies of laptops, smartphones and tablets, I can do all of this at some of my most unpleasant moments and no one is the wiser. Its genius.

I am truly in great spirits right now and even when I feel really crappy (especially when I feel crappy), if I can find a positive thing to share, I throw it out into the Facebook collective and I get ten positive ones back! AND IT'S FREE! It's awesome! And it doesn't hurt anyone! It takes someone less than thirty seconds to write a positive post, well, for most of my friends...... I think my friend Polly is still hunting and pecking out there, but most everybody can get the job done in a small amount of time and it goes a LONG way. I am here to tell you that a simple gesture of quoting a movie line, or engaging in a little fun sarcasm or posting a photo about milk being the 2% makes me giggle out loud! I especially like music posts from the 80's...reminders of one-hit wonders and the like...It is THERAPY! You should all get $95 an hour which in 30 seconds does not equate to much ($0.80 cents to be exact) but the value of that 80 cents is huge. It may very well save my life. Between Facebook, and the phenomenal cooks in my community nourishing my body, I've got body and soul covered.

I am willing to bet Mark Zuckerberg did not intend this outcome. It's an application of an idea that is sort of a bonus, a negative turned positive, kinda like the billions of dollars in his bank account. Certainly, social media can also be used for less than savory ways of social destruction but in my case, it's a tiny bit of salvation. Don't get me wrong. I am not going to start exalting Mark Zuckerberg and start drinking his particular brand of Kool-Aid. I've got my own. It's called Adriamycin. It's bright red and it makes your hair fall out. However, I must applaud him for being brilliantly smart (whether he stole it or not) and putting social networking into action. I am a believer.

A few words of friendly caution: don't forget to check your privacy settings for the occasional stalker or unsavory person who is a little further from enlightenment than the rest of us. I highly recommend either embracing your political polar opposites (after all, they do present good arguments from time to time) or simply blocking them. There are some people out there who feel a need to give the gift of negativity, woe and despair. Here is another great thing about Facebook: you can flood them with positive energy of peace and love and strawberry ice cream thoughts and if that doesn't work, simply unfriend them, digitally. It's painless! It's the new cyber purgatory and if your friend repents with kindness, love and light, you can re-friend them! Salvation! Forgiveness! All at your fingertips. And if things get unbearable, switch to email.

So if you are wondering how to make a difference in this life from the comforts of your own home, get yourself in a positive frame of mind and then share it. Share a funny quote, post a funny picture about a found cat (which was actually possum or a badger or something....funny!), post photos of your last adventure, post a video about an autistic kid who sings the star-spangled banner and needs a little help (loved that one!), or just say hey, I'm thinking about you. It WORKS! It will make a difference to the person you sent it to and it will make you feel good inside and it's free, for now. I love to hear from people. I encourage any interaction you can muster, even if it's a way to process grief. It's what makes me feel human in a world that has lost its humanness (through the same technology of which I exalt...). If you can be funny or happy or witty or clever, great. In case you can't, don't let that shut you off from those of us that can. Connecting is more important and allows us to be present in the moment, a moment that may pass as easily at came and allows for a better feeling or idea to bubble up. Plus, it gives others an opportunity to do something good which in turn makes them feel good, which makes you feel good, and so on. The bad news is none of us are getting out of this alive. We are all terminal. The good news is (if you share my view) there is only one way to go, so we got that going for us. We have choices. I am choosing happiness as often as I can. I am choosing to give my best each day because it is good for the positive current of the universe and I am convinced that this current uplifts people no matter where they are. If I can't muster happiness then gratitude is the next best choice. I share it whenever possible and it comes back to me in spades. Look for me on the internet. I'm out there, And if you can keep those awesome comments, "likes" and posts coming....I am deeply grateful that you took 30 seconds of your time to save my life.