Faith and Facebook: The Spiritual Pitfalls of an Online Existence

ravneet_sb ji

This is not the fault of facebook, but the challenge. You have written the next chapter so to speak. How do we shape social technologies so that they enhance our social, emotional and spiritual development.

 
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In the same vein I saw that MSN was a disease and may be some one will sue Microsoft for destroying so many young lives through over-indulgence in messaging and entering into a "counter productive La-La land". It could also be the generation gap, as kids will most likely disagree.

I am not on Facebook but it appears it fills some of the voids where the local village has kind of evaporated with people bubbled-in in their homes and kids even more so as a growing trend.

Again wise use of a tool allows you to make something, and ill use leads you to destroy something.

Are all the Facebook users Facebook ready

Sat Sri Akal.

sat sri akaal,

"social development" is development of "sat sangat" who are attached to "guru" through "guru's bani" and reflected in individual actions.

Thought (mind) astral
speech(spirit) spiritual
and action (body) physical
are required to be in straight line

this is first "sidhi" very very very very ..... Difficult to achieve


"emotion" has no physical relevance is "imaginary"
we should understand e motion to understand th real world
"bhav sagar tarna"
crossing world of emotion,
tu understand and to crossover is again a difficult task


"spirituality" is third stage
"expression" of the "nature"
formation of words

its like
newton expressed "gravity"

though "gravity" was existing in nature, he gave a word to the nature

only 4% of nature is comprehended,
rest is still invisible to humans

one's own control over mind control's lot, one can realise the world changing.

Thank you SPN, for publishing this extremely topical and thought provoking Article by Yasmin Mogahed.
I wish you would bring out more such writings. It's what draws simple folk like me to
SPN, in the very first place.

In fact, Two days ago i deactivated my account for good; i had this lurking fear, that i would lose contact..then it occurs to me, lose contact with whom?
The main reason for me to quit FB, was that because there was this weird voice in me..cynical at people who posted stuff..liked by many people irrespective of its content.. And lately my existence had been compromised so much so that i was evicted from myself and my emotions. Just what the author has expressed so ardently.
With the advent of the digital, close circuited world, with wired lives, and gps emotions; everything that is human which is solely love in its different forms has become an article, a topic for criticism and abduction.

FaceBook and a lot of other applications have become a substitute for soul searching and the epiphany which results from a path independent of anyone else's path's judgement.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/scitech/34728-faith-facebook-spiritual-pitfalls-online-existence.html
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=34728
We need to open our eyes, not in a group not as another movement but as a realization that spiritually and individually we're heading for an Armageddon.

Yes.. it is very touchy indeed.... the essence of what religion should be and what most forgot...and what sikkhi keeps more vivid!!!!!
Thanks for reminding it Spnadmin
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=34728
Otilia

I agree with the poster 100%. In fact, when he was describing what facebook does to you, it felt like he was talking about me.

But the truth is that is life. There are plenty of things in the world that can take us off the path. Like you said Facebook is good and bad. So is everything else in the world. We should not just cut ourselves off from the world to avoid all of the bad things, and in the same way we should not cut ourselves off from Facebook (unless we truly do not enjoy being on it). We need to live with all of these things, we need to live in the contemporary society and conquer our own minds so we do not get addicted and get a larger ego.

So its good to understand what facebook does to you, but deactivating it is not the answer (unless again, you are truly bored of it or don't like it). Don't run away from your problem, conquer it.

So, as a summary I will say:
1.Non-judgemental love is what we need to do... some call it unconditional love.self.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=34728
2. Look within yourself
3. Need to accept faults/ negatives in life
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=34728

Easy to say but difficult to follow. Simply loving other human beings even if they do not appreciate you is difficult.

4. Face book... if someone does not like it or internet, it amounts to suppression of information. Just need to keep controls... like with privacy/internet security and www protocols.Everything has positive and negative aspects.... need is to have it in controlled doses.N ot liking Facebook is again judgemental!

Everybody follows trends, and it's become a status symbol to be able to spend a fortune on worthless gadgets these days. Temptation is a human weakness, and this exploitation is what society has become--brain-washed slaves of technology. I think that in another 20 years from now we won't be able to so much as get dressed without the help of some hi-tech electronic gadget whose software tells us what and how to wear our clothing! We need to free our mind of technology just long enough to appreciate the glory of God and what He put around us (that is being gradually destroyed each day) before it's all gone. Facebook has become an addiction to almost everyone who uses it regularly (many seem to never get off it). But I don't blame Facebook--it's what's become of the world; greed, power and envy are what enslaves people to spend countless hours at a time sending messages, many which are no more than mindless gossip, just for their entertainment, but on the bright side, it does transmit a wealth of good information!