To Ease the Passing of Time

Imitation of Life is the title of an American movie from 1959. The title, only the title, not the movie itself, popped up in my mind when I was checking the contents of my Facebook page this morning. There were, as always, a lot of things to look at and listen to; and I must say that most of them were entertaining and interesting. I saw a lot people, some of them I know, but most of them I don’t, doing all kinds of fun things in different places all over the world.

I saw cute cats and dogs, kittens and puppies, so affectionate and funny that they just melt your heart.

To lift up my spirit and make my life better, there were positive thoughts, and even prayers. There were advice and tips on how to lead my life or remove a coffee stain from a tablecloth.

And just like in real life, a lot of people were there to brag and show off.

Some were asking me to join them in asking God for favours, and others to join them in thanking God for answering their prayers.

I was warned that if I did not share a stupid posting, I would be cursed, and really bad things were going to happen to me; and that if I did, I would be blessed with a full head of hair and a few million dollars.

I saw pictures of old friends from fifty years ago with their children and grandchildren; and I saw pictures of old people like me who used to be my neighbours more than sixty years ago when I was a child.

Some people were trying to sell me old stuff that they no longer use, not realizing that thanks to globalization and the low cost of labour in China, it would be a lot cheaper for me to buy the same stuff new in a dollar store or online.

Some people were asking me to fight against, and denounce this or that ; and others, to fight for, and champion this or that.

I was in the middle of all that this morning when the title of that old movie popped up in my mind: Imitation of Life. I told myself that being on Facebook is a lot like watching a movie or looking at old photos. It can be fun and entertaining, and it can bring us a lot of satisfaction and pleasure; it can take us for a walk down memory lane, and bring us back to the good old days; it can also inform us on a lot of topics and subjects, and sometimes, it can teach us us a few important and valuable lessons, but Facebook is not real life. It’s an imitation of life.

Real life is when your turn off your computer or tablet, and you go out to do real things with real people.