unPHILtered: The Way I See It by Phil Robertson Read Free Book Online Page A

U.S. use some form of social media. Facebook alone has 1.19 billion users worldwide—more than three times the population of the United States! Think about that—one in every seven people in the world is using Facebook! I’m starting to think social media might be more addictive than cocaine and heroin. Americans can’t seem to get enough of it, and social media is making us narcissistic and envious of others.
    I’ll never forget the time my son Jase told me he had millions of friends.
    “Millions of friends, huh?” I asked him.
    “Yeah, I’m up to two million friends on Facebook,” he said.
    “How is that?” I asked him. “How do you talk to every last one of them? How do you do that?”
    Jase then asked me: “Dad, how many friends do you have?”
    I held up one hand and simply told him, “Not as many as you.”
    When you log on to Facebook or some other social media site, how many of the people you’re communicating with are really your friends? How many do you have meaningful relationships with? How many of those people can you actually share your problems and struggles with? Miss Kay is my best friend and we talk about everything. Hey, the woman loves me! I couldn’t imagine jumping onto a computer and sharing my dirty laundry for the whole world to see. It doesn’t make any sense to me.
    Much of the reason some people are so attracted to social media is gossip. Gossip is kind of like a second bowl of duck gumbo. We know we don’t need it and might even say we don’t want it, but when it’s within reach, most of us can’t resist it. Gossip is the same way. We’re humans and imperfect, and we can’t seem to get enough of it. Most people want to know everything about everyone, regardless of how hurtful it might be. Proverbs 18:8 says, “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.” Gossip is a sin, and it involves not only the person talking, but also the people listening and the ones who repeat what they heard. We have to remember that what comes from our mouths lets everyone know who we are and who we belong to. There are even gossip websites, and people hosting them have become millionaires, feasting on gossip and the intimate details of other people’s lives.
    Here’s another thing: why do we now have to document every one of life’s precious moments with a photograph on Facebook and Instagram? I can understand a grandmother wanting to see photographs of her grandchildren if she lives across the country or a wife wanting to see photos of her husband if he’s stationed overseas in the military. Hey, even photos of birthday parties, weddings, and anniversaries are okay. But do we have to document every little moment of our lives? According to Facebook, more than 750 million photographs are uploaded to their site on a given weekend. Isn’t that what our memories are for? We’ve become narcissistic, wanting to share everything with our “friends.” We have to tell them what we’re doing, what we’re wearing, who we’re with, and where we’re going. Then we’ll sit in front of the computer for hours to see how many friends “liked” or shared the photos.
    I’m telling you: social media isn’t for me. My code of life can be summed up in a few short statements. 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 tells us: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” That’s what Paul the Apostle told the Thessalonians as he was writing on behalf of the Father of the cosmos. Paul did not tell the Thessalonians to livenoisy, chaotic lives. Instead, he told them to love each other and to make it their ambition to lead quiet lives. He told them to concentrate on their own lives, take care of their own jobs and responsibilities, and not meddle in the affairs of others. In other words, he