All Things New

Up until now, I have managed to stay largely silent in the online discussion of race and culture in America, specifically regarding the many events of the past year or so. I believe these conversations are far more beneficial to all parties when they happen face-to-face. However, I’m going to dip my toe in the water and throw my two cents in, starting with the Confederate flag issue. I will be the first to admit, I don’t have any sort of attachment or association with the Confederate flag. It means nothing to me one way or another. I have not studied the history of it; I have heard claims from both sides of the argument that it is absolutely racist and absolutely not racist. I have heard adherents to the flag claim “Southern heritage”. Maybe there is some sort of attachment there; I’m not going to pretend that I understand it. But what I do understand is what that flag means to so many people in America today, many of them my own dear friends. People who have been marginalize

The funny thing about social media is that I’m almost never being “social” when I’m interacting with it. Nine times out of ten, I run to social media when I’m bored. Instead of striking up a conversation with the person next to me in the waiting room, I scroll through Instagram. Instead of paying attention at a sporting event, I live-tweet it. Instead of spending time in prayer before bed, I check Facebook. Instead of reading a book or chatting with a coworker during lunch, I browse Buzzfeed for the billionth time. In all these instances, I pull away from authentic, genuine connection in favor of a detached semi-reality. Why? I’m not quite sure yet…maybe just because it’s easier and more self-indulgent. Still figuring that out. I do know one thing – this past weekend was one of the most enjoyable ones of the summer, and I think much of it had to do with the fact that I completely unplugged from social media for 48 hours. It all began when I realized that I had no plans on