Thursday, July 25, 2013

Facebook Narcissist


Proverbs 13:10
There are few things that bother me in life more than someone who thinks they know it all. It is amazing when their opinion is the only one that matters, or that they are right about everything. Now when you get two people like that in the same conversation, look out! Chances are a fight is on the way.
Part of being a person of integrity is recognizing that we don’t know everything, that other people’s opinions matter. For instance, we can’t know how another person feels until they tell us. And they are entitled to feel that way. There is not right or wrong way to feel. The words “You shouldn’t feel that way” just aren’t true, no matter how much the know-it-all insists.
This is one of the reasons we all need to learn to listen well. We all need to learn to see life from the other person’s perspective, from their shoes. Unfortunately, our culture is now breading people who only care about themselves. The think their life is the center of the universe, and that their feelings are the only ones that matter. They post every little detail about their lives on Facebook, as if they were on a reality TV program. They brush their teeth and we read about it on FB. (Or at least that is what they think we do!)
We all need to swallow the humble pill and learn to listen to others. We need advisors, people who will tell us the truth even if we don’t want to hear it. We need to be able to see beyond our own noses in order to make good decisions, ones that will stand the test of time.
There is wisdom in taking advice. It is foolish to think that we have to learn everything for ourselves. We don’t need to be hit by a car to know that streets can be dangerous places. We can listen to what our parents tell us. They have knowledge about cars and people: cars win! Their advice is worth heeding.
When we learn that others know things, then our knowledge can increase exponentially. We now don’t need to learn everything ourselves. We just need to know where to go to get the knowledge we need. We can just ask, or look it up. This is wisdom!
And when we gain wisdom, we don’t feel the need to be on top on every issue. And when that happens, the need to fight to save our image vanishes. Pride has taken a backseat where it belongs.