I don't add my mentor in facebook, and this is why

I just had a two-hour restless coffee chat with one of my former supervisors. Even though we have always considered each other as friends, I haven't, up to this point, added her Facebook, and I am glad I haven't done so. We keep in touch through short emails, and so to make up for the whole year apart, we get to talking, sharing, and re-connecting our life stories this afternoon.

The rise of social networks seems to facilitate human connection. By just scrolling the screen, we could easily see what happens in a person's life without even bother asking. We, however, most of the time, forget the fact that Facebook is just a mean of public broadcasting, and what goes here doesn't necessarily reflect the whole story. You see people smiling in pictures. What you don't see in the pain they go through. You hear people announcing their great news. What you don't know is the price they have to pay. "Likes" and "comments" are considered indicators of sympathy, but that sympathy only stays in its narrowest surface.

Like, for example, if I had scrolled down the news feed of my friend, I would have thought that I knew every significant event that happened in her life, and I wouldn't have been much excited about meeting her. Facebook manifests the illusion of 'I know things about you. I hear things about you', while, in fact, we don't. Regard this aspect, I can say that Facebook is a great place to expand networks, but not so great to maintain and deepen relationships with people you truly care.

This is why I get excited to receive personal messages from friends. It's truly a blessing to know that your friends still remember you in the world where the convenience of social media gradually takes over personalized connections.

With that, I hope you will consider sending a message to your loved ones right now. Ask how they are doing. Tell them about the most recent great things (and horrible things) that happen. And wait for that flow of memories to return, leaving you with a deeper sense of appreciation for this beautiful life.

(Picture was taken on the date of this story)