“If you won’t let me bring you up, then I refuse to let you bring me down.” The controversial Reverend Ike once made a statement similar to this. This statement is one that should be adopted by everyone on the planet earth. There are billions of people who live to either share misery or create it. Why listen to issues or problems that the person telling you does not want to solve? Why waste time gossiping about events that have nothing to do with you? This is where the internet and social media have mislead people. The concept of everyone is connected is a line of feces that people need to run from. Be honest, do you really want to be connected with some people? Tell the truth and shame the devil. Many people do not want to be bothered with some family members, so why are you connecting with strangers and adopting their problems?
I was at school in the hallway when an older African American man started talking about an issue. I did not know what he was talking about and did not want to know what he was talking about. Yet, this man proceeded to keep talking about the issue – police murdering someone. This man was getting worked up and I kept saying, “Bro, I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t want to know.” The man looked in pain as I tuned him out. Finally to shut him up I said, “Man, whatever you are talking about does not seem to make you happy. I am happy, so I don’t want to hear it.” That made him glare at me and walk away. I shook my head in wonder because his mindset resembles the one many people in the world have. That is the mindset designed around the old saying, “Misery loves company.”
Facebook is chock full of people who seem to have an addiction. The drug of choice is misery. That is why I choose not to go on Facebook. With the explosion of internet porn, people have adopted the ‘S-and-M’ mindset when dealing with life. In short, many people are mental pain freaks. I say this because why else would someone go online and look up misery from across the globe and devour it mentally? This is where the internet and social media lead people into depression. You hear constantly that people are more connected than ever before; yet is the world becoming a better place for this? Look at the effects of social media and the internet on children. Keep in mind these children who are shaped by these two mediums will one day be adults.
If you walk into any restaurant and see two people dining, there is a great chance that the people will be on their phones. When you walk into a school that hasn’t banned cell phones, you will see students on the phone in class or walking the halls. The people who live for social media or internet are usually devouring forms of negative news or entertainment. The sick part is that these people do not even realize that the content is negative. These people are unconsciously getting their fill of misery to cure their craving.
Keep Reverend Ike’s words in mind. Do not let anyone ruin your happiness with their issues. The world has been turning for billions of years and will continue to do so. Your span of time is for your enjoyment. In order to do this you may have to disconnect from people and media platforms. Try it. All you are missing is an unhealthy dose of misery.
Frank James IV © 2023
beingfrankwithfrank@gmail.com
The opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer and not of the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper or HT Group, LLC, its staff or management. “Being Frank” is a bi-weekly column exclusive to the Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper.