If you are a Facebook fan (I am not) you’ll notice that everyone is shouting and no one is listening. When did hate and fear solve anything? When did we stop listening to each other?

I believe Facebook was originally created to send happy messages, post pictures and generally keep up with you friends and family. Lately, it seems to have taken on a dark side. Some people are getting into long diatribes about their religion, their politics, negative statements about race and sexual orientation, causing others to defend their side of things. It upsets me to know that we have lost our reasoning skills when it comes to these world problems and that we have forgotten how to just sit and listen to each other. We can agree to disagree but without hate and threats to the opposing party.

No one agrees with everything you say. They are never totally on your side. And sometimes you might be wrong in your thoughts. But to work up such a lather about what the other party is saying is a loss of perspective on what is really being said and why it is being said. We get so wrapped up in our own beliefs and defending this knowledge that we forget to look at the underlying causes of these conversations.

These people who spew forth misinformation and hate are probably just sad and lonely, waiting for a reaction from others so they have contact. What they really need is real contact with the outside world. I really wish they would think about what they say before they fire it off in their anonymity. Or, maybe they should just join a group or something outside of their house.

Weird Al Yankovic may be right in his song, First World Problems. Some people fixate on all the little things that are wrong in their lives: WiFi reception, not being able to order off of the Breakfast Menu after 2 pm because we got up too late, having a big house so we get lost, having gluten-free food, and all of the woes not understandable to a Third World person. We tend to forget that we have shelter, food, safety, and way more disposable income than the majority of the world. We can’t expect someone whose lives are at stake every day in a war zone to understand us. We can’t understand what it is like to live like that. We forgot to care.

So, what’s the solution? How do we get the happiness factor back in our lives and share it with others? How do we color our lives with a caring personality? Is all of this negativity an external force? Did someone create a presence on another planet and send all these negative vibes down to our earth via the media. Was it planned like we saw the movie Tomorrowland? Can we get over the blaming and get on with the doing?

I am committing to try a little harder to understand others and at least listen, even if I don’t agree with them. I am committing to do a good deed each day, even if it’s just a smile for a friend or customer, and laugh at a good joke, and enjoy each moment. Maybe people will think I’m being a d…k sometimes, when I talk to them about something uncomfortable, but I certainly won’t be an a…hole. (Thank you, Peter Quill, or Star Lord, for that sage advice. OK, seriously, you didn’t get that? From Guardians of the Galaxy, of course!)