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The Happy Facebooker

While on my preferred social media website, Twitter, I quickly conversed with someone about the hilarity of the happiness shared by everyone on Facebook.  This is not to say my friend and I don't love seeing out friends in moments of joy, but we both viewed certain people's perpetual happiness (or unhappiness) with some trepidation. How is it possible for anyone to be in a constant state of bliss or misery.  Simple odds tell us this isn't so.  

We shared quick stories and it soon became evident that this isn't resigned to those we know, but is the manifestation of jealousy caused by social media.  When someone views their best friend sitting on a beach, sipping boat drinks, they immediately feel the need to one up them.   They share a tale, true or not, about their heightened levels of happiness and are sure to thank everyone who likes or comments, taking those little moments of recognition and turning it into some make believe emotion.

I've known people to thank their husbands for always being there for them, a week after they told me they were divorcing.  I know people who praise their children for breakfast in bed, reading later in the police blotter that their child was arrested the night before. I've read statuses filled with tales of romantic evenings only to run into one of the members of said couple alone in a bar later that evening.  Sometimes the lies are even worse, but I'll refrain on the chance I inadvertently out someone whose entire life might be a bit of a charade.

There is nothing more I want in life than for those I consider friends to be happy.  Their happiness is usually passed down to their children, coworkers and sometimes even to me. Their smiling faces, bring smiles to mine and I hope vice versa. I just don't understanding the lies. Creating a false sense of happiness leads to depression in the one lying, but it also leads to a deterioration of those around them.  I know first hand that those who create this false euphoria are also the ones who are the first to complain when others aren't there for them in their times of need.  It's almost as if they've created a reverse boy who cried wolf syndrome, but they refuse to ever acknowledge their woes are usually self manufactured and then exacerbated by their boisterous claims of glee.

Smokey Robinson once sung the song Tears of a Clown.  Sometimes I think it's should be Facebook's theme.  We all have ups and we all have downs and that's what makes us human and what makes us alike. Be careful the next time you attempt to con the eyes of Facebook into thinking life is better than it is, because  when it's not, those eyes will not be looking, allowing you to stew in what we all feel day to day.

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