What I Really Think of FACEBOOK (from the perspective of an introvert)

I believe everything happens for a reason, and I also believe some relationships are supposed to end. Facebook prolongs relationships that need to fade away into a distant memory. Gone are the days of wondering “whatever happened to …..?” You can just check Facebook, one of your friends has seen their profile and has seen their photos, so you know everything you need to know, because all you really want is gossip straight from the source. What do I mean by gossip? I will use myself as an example (I really feel bad about this so forgive me) There was a High School friend I was wondering what happened to and actively looking for, maybe three years off and on. One day I was on Facebook and he just popped up, Facebook suggested him as a friend. One click and we were friends again. The next day he wrote on my wall, I wrote on his, check out his info and his photos and we have not spoke or wrote on each others wall for two years (My mistake Facebook reminded us of our Birthday, so we gave Birthday wishes) Is it me or is that horrible. Did I want to reconnect with a great High school friend? or Did I just want to see how life had treated him. Facebook provides “idle posts about personal or private affairs” Provided to use from the horse’s mouth. (I did not just call all my 210 Facebook friends horses) But by logging in to my Facebook account I have a false sense that I know my friends, and I can rate them, comment on what they are doing or challenge them to a quiz. Don’t get me wrong there are a number of great things about Facebook and the friends I get to talk to and see a part of their life that I would not get a chance to. But as an introvert some days it is all overwhelming.
A couple of years ago one of my Facebook friends sent out a post to all her “friends” (more than 2,000) that she was leaving Facebook, because, in her words “Facebook is consuming my life.” At the time I thought, Really? Consuming your life? Just stop logging in everyday. Now, I understand, it is not consuming my life, but it sometimes seems to be calling me from my life.
Until Later

"The Evolution Of Bill"

Why John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt? I am not ready sure, but I remember learning this song one year at summer camp and thinking. “I want to be him.” Mainly because I was not him, cool, popular and he had a song. (Cut me some slack I was 8.) I think the names we answer to or go by has an effect on how you relate to others. Let’s look at the evolution of Bill.
On July 20, 1967 I was given the name William Joseph Brown, my earliest nickname I can remember answering to was “Little Peanut “ given to me by my grandmother because I was so small and looked like my father .(She named him Peanut too) When I was Peanut, all I did was be cute and smiled a lot. Grandmother was the only one I enjoyed calling me Peanut. She passed away last year so Peanut is no more. Next I answered to “Willie” this name also was my father’s . This is what I would call my family and the neighborhood name(If I am somewhere mainly Pittsburgh, and someone is calling, than yelling Willie with disgust, I know they are calling for me and is a family member or from the neighborhood) When I was Willie, I was still cute but I was also quiet, did not know what to say and did not think anyone wanted to hear from me.

In six grade I asked people to call me William, thought I was getting older and I did not like how people called me Willie. You know how someone could seem to say all the right things, but it still feels like they are making fun of you or cursing you. That is how being called Willie felt (and still feels sometime) William did not stick, too many people just called me Will, so I made an announcement. “My Name Is Now Bill.” Finding my voice, not so cute anymore, if you did not call me Bill I would not answer you, really. I would not flinch, Got a reputation for being an a hole, that I wore as a badge of honor. At the time it worked for me, I changed my name. Here is the ironic thing about this, I pick Bill to be “popular” Everybody knows Bill Brown, but because of the way I made the change I isolated myself, not lonely. A sort of self isolation to do things on my terms. That brings us back to doe. I am an observer. Now trying to be a participator.

I have been working on a book project for a number of years now call "Boxed In And Labeled” that explores why people label us, how we label ourselves, and how to fight those labels. This project started of as a memoir, than I thought, “Who do you think you are to write a memoir”. So I stopped writing. Than I thought I would write a One Act Play. Yeah great, I could not decide on the main character, so I stopped writing. My next plan is to write the intro to a series of books that solicit stories from people all over the world. A sort of Chicken Soup for the Soul concept. That’s big, so big I am again stumped. The more I think about it the bigger it gets and the bigger it gets the more I am afraid to share it with anyone. But I guess I just did.
Soon I will be asking for your stories.
Until later,

Blogging.? Me?

I have been going back and forth about doing this blog. How does one start a blog? Do I start by giving a little background on myself? or just explain the Why I am doing this. So let’s just do it,(as one sports company would say)

I am an observer of human experiences, why and what people do fascinate me, however sometimes I find myself shut out of any interaction. The fly in the room as you will, that may cause some annoyance, or not be noticed or a challenge to eliminate. This blog is more about what I see and how it shapes what I think. The main reason this blog is hard for me, is because I have operated from this basic PRINCIPLE. (I came up with this in my college Creative Writing class.) The Art of being Inhuman – “Tell people what you think.” I learned at an early age that if you say what you really think people would judge you. You are excused for repeating what your parents think, or for what your friends think and as an actor (back in the day) what the playwrights write. But when it is what you think, you are on the hook. You have to answer for it. So, I learned to “zip it”. LESSON LEARNED, “If you don’t speak for yourself, someone else will speak for you.” They will not ask you, they will just do it. (for your benefit, they say.) and it may be, but it is still not you.

So this blog is me, I announced to my Facebook friends to “Expect the unexpected” with this blog, mainly because I have NO idea what most of my friends, Facebook or otherwise expect from me. DISCLAIMER #1 (My disclaimers are typically followed by a short blunt statement that you will get immediately or take offence immediately or just dismiss as a rant) – I sometimes think my friends would not be surprised if they hear something outrageous like; “Did you hear Bill is gay.” or “I heard that Bill was a bigamous.” or I heard Bill was on drugs. I think this not as a judgment of you but as a statement that when we don’t really know someone, we will fill in the blanks. From my stand point my life is an open book, however when a book is opened the reader only sees the pages visible to see. Through relationship, you get permission to see the other pages.

I believe humanity is one big ball of inconsistencies. There are a number of examples of this. Here is one that has stuck with me for a while. A number of years ago there was a news story of a “lifetime criminal “(their term)that saved a person from a burning building, how the anchors were amazed that this person would take the time to save someone surprised me more than his actions. I believe we are not our labels (will explain in later blogs) We all have the potential to do extraordinary things and also things that would make our mothers cry (which to me is the worst)

So here we go, Me, Blogging. Here are some things I plan to blog about, my life stories, my faith, my feeling on leaders and some random stuff. I will also take requests, if there is something you want to know about me I will blog about it or I will tell you why I will not blog about it. I also think most of the times we don’t tell things because we want to protect others, because we feel that they can’t handle it, (that may be true) but I think unspoken truth will destroy you. . DISCLAIMER #2 When we don’t process, what we feel out loud to each other, we will become self-destructive or seek out ways to destroy others. As Socrates is quoted to have said “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Examining is not judging. So now you are a fly in the room.

(What Truth do I mean – your truth, we all have experiences that shape our truth. That same experience may be viewed differently by another person and that becomes their truth.)

BILLISMS: Personal and Professional

“The grass may be greener, but it still needs to be mowed.”

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. However if you hold their head underwater for a while, something will happen"

“Good guys eventually wins.”

“You don’t hire disgruntle employees, you make them.”

More to come

BTW the name of this blog will be explained in my next blog, here is a video for your enjoyment.

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt"