rose colored glasses?

In our world of online social interactions, do we ever have to deal with life's natural ups and downs much anymore with friends?  With friends now all you have to do is comment on facebook, read their blogs, or send them text messages.  And those venues are all usually perky and filled with LOL's, smiley faces, and exclamation marks.  Blogs are filled with pretty pictures of cute kids, loving husbands, and delicious food.  You start to wonder if everyone's life is really this fantastic all the time! 

On one hand it's nice to be in touch with so many more people than we were from before.  However, it's made us more lazy in regards to actually fostering a relationship with people.  Some might say 'why does it matter'.  Maybe it doesn't, but I'm going to be an oddball and say that I think it does matter.  We're slowly being conditioned to not make the effort to see people live.  We don't even want to make phone calls anymore. Txt messages suffice.  In the end we just see one side of a person and lose the full relationship; for better or for worse. 

It's a new thing, really, the social life that Facebook has created.  Blogs, too, to a certain extent.  It is a one dimentional relationship.  Also, you never know if the author is being comletely true in their blogs. I've recently heard of a lady who made her blog life to look one way while in fact her life was the opposite.  Sad, really. 

I do wish we had more down time to be friends to one another and didn't feel the need to keep it so superficial.  Sure you don't want to be BFF's with everyone, but it would be nice to have a few more friends in real life, I think.  Or maybe all of you do have lots of friends and I'm the only one who doesn't! Hahahaha  No, I know I'm not alone. I see it and hear about it from a lot of people. 

What is the point of this entry? Not sure.  Just saying that what we see online is a painted picture of reality.  It might even set us up for disapointment reading everyone else's online entries.  If all you read is achievements, successes, vacations, weddings, parties, etc, you start to feel like life needs to be one big party! And we all know the reality of this.  Our life is not meant to be a party.  It's not easy.  We all strive to do our best and to have some fun along the way. 

Surah: 2, Ayah: 155
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُمْ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الأَمَوَالِ وَالأنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ
"We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, and decrease of goods, life and fruits. Give glad tidings to the patient,"

And this verse helps keep me grounded:

Surah: 2, Ayah: 212
زُيِّنَ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا وَيَسْخَرُونَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّقَواْ فَوْقَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَاللّهُ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَاء بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

"For those who disbelieve, the worldly life is decked with all manner of decorations. They scoff at those who believe, but the cautious shall be above them on the Day of Resurrection. Allah gives without count to whom He will."

May Allah keep us all content with His provisions and keep us always praising Him.