Now this might sound like a rant blog, but please bear with me. So, the other day I open Facebook and there it is. I then open my Instagram page and voila! It is there too. Every damn day I find it and it makes me both mad and sad at the same time. How can people be so mean? At a time like this we don’t need more pain in our lives. But social media is one of the easiest ways we have to relate to one another and share information. Oh no! Wait! I am going too fast. I haven’t told you what “it” is yet! It is all the weight shaming memes and comments about how fat we all are going to be once the stay at home order is over. What?! Guess what, you can be healthy no matter your size. According to all the medical charts and standards I am obese, and I am doomed to suffer a list of horrible conditions. Newsflash, I am nearly 50 and besides a thyroid condition I am fit as a fiddle. Why for the love of all things holy are we worried about our external appearance when we are much more than what we see in the mirror? I just don’t get it. There are real world issues here like people dying and losing their livelihoods. According to ANAD, The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, there are at least 30 million Americans with an eating disorder and every hour there is at least one person who dies from their condition. So, what does this have to do with all the memes out there that are supposed to be funny? It means someone’s eating disorder is getting triggered by what they see and that, in my opinion, is no bueno! I really believe we were making a tiny bit of progress towards being a little more empathetic before this pandemic, but I think that in many ways this concept has gone out the door. I do realize that many people are stressed out and scared, but is it possible to say no to things that are not funny and could potentially bring pain to another person? Moving forward I pledge to question these posts and to take some time before I post to make sure I am doing the right thing. There is an old rule of thumb that says that the you should only put a post out there if you mother would be ok reading it. I like that idea, a lot! Now, I am not telling you what to do, but I ask that you step into the other person’s shoes before you put something out there that could make someone’s day worse. All blessings!
What are we really afraid of?
