#20 We who have why to live
Can bear almost any how. But it's not a race with looking who's the fastest to figure it all out. Trust your timing and keep going.
Hello to our readers. While entering weekend, we hope you rest enough, eat foods you look interesting throughout the week on social media, and fully charge your wellbeing! We finally reach our 20th publication today, it's a little milestone that means a lot to us. Thank you for staying connected!
On the previous newsletter (you can read it back here!), we had a SalMonday from Leroy. He was asking about how we defined the concept of identity and how we saw our own identity.
Do not miss our publication by clicking the button below. We hope you enjoy our essay!
Meiska
Isn’t it great to be connected with our friends since almost everyone is on social media? I was thirteen years old (if not mistaken) when I was introduced to social media for the first time. I was that Friendster, MSN and Yahoo! Messenger active user, and gained a lot of friends! And surprisingly, I am still in touch with few of them! Fast forward fourteen years later, I am still actively using social media, and I can say that it played important roles to shape who I am now.
But are we using our social media wisely? Referring to an articles written by Ravi Chandra, and Brittany Giliforte and Tessa Warburton, I’d like to reflect my perspectives that makes me feel I mindfully and responsibly use social media:
Sharing our activities online can enhance feelings of wellbeing and online social support
I have to agree! When I post something, what I feel at least people I’m close with feel my presence, likewise I feel theirs because they’re on the viewer list. We will be connected simultaneously! It’s even more fun when we get replies of encouragement, or just by starting simple conversation. Unfortunately, I feel not as free as before on stating what I believe over something viral that is opposed with my beliefs. No, it’s not because I’m afraid someone will react against it, because it’s better to just focus on posts and sharing things that worth my attention and energy. And I always discuss those strong and intense contents with my friends, we laugh and curse it out, it makes me feel way better!
Do not overuse, and take breaks from social media
The author studied that people who are addictive with social media significantly worsen their wellbeing. Because it potentially creates boundaries (jealousy, rivalry, etc) between their users that further affect their real life relationship. It’s true, but it was hard for me not to overuse it haha. Even when I’m watching series, I open my social media every 15 to 30 minutes. I tried to set reminder for two hours use of Instagram and it works for me from overusing it! My average time spending on Instagram reach approximately 2 hours now (it’s still a long time, no? Haha)
To be honest, the boundaries are real. I’m not proud with my past behaviour on social media. I once fought with my friend and threw my anger on Twitter instead. Even though we are now on good terms, it left me with big regrets how we could’ve been better and solved the problems together. When we talked about it we laughed and felt so embarrassed! Haha.
Curate the feed
It’s very important! My explore feeds on Instagram always show things that are interested for me. It happened because I keep my algorithms away from posts that sensational, viral, and involving hate activities in all forms. I follow, like, and save relaxing and comforting posts. I also mute and block accounts who creates hoax and harmful contents so I am hardly triggered by them, and regularly unfollow accounts I rare to check on. My social media should be a platform to get inspirations and updates from as healthy as possible!
Elsa
A farewell letter
To a tiny part of cosmos known as Dublin, located at the east coast of Republic of Ireland,
I’m going to leave you in three days. I bet it would be a hard goodbye.
I was coming to your land six months ago from Paris. If your writers—James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, and Oscar Wilde—had a strong adoration with Paris, please don’t expect I have it the same way.
Nothing would prevail against the kindness of your people. We were waiting at your bus stop, two guys were approaching us telling that we were standing at the wrong side. There were a father and two kids passing a young lady doing gymnastics at the park, she was easily welcoming the kids to play with her hula hoop. My friend desperately bringing herself inside a casino to find a loo, the staff treated her as equal as the customers. I volunteered in a coffee competition, the coordinator sent me personal mail appreciating my tiny work.
Your country is heartily religious by your culture. Your anger to the ruthless British colonialism for 800 years was manifested by your cultism for being Catholics over Protestants. You named a maturation process of whiskey as “the angel’s share” when the casks lost a half of its content, rather than “the devil’s cut” term from States. You published a report of the Committee on Evil Literature for censorship in 1926 to appease the Archbishop, yet you are the first nation to approve same-sex marriage in 2015.
I’m ecstatic with your Celtic culture. Your shamrock bangle is on my left foot, your silver harp is on my neck. Your D-chord tin whistle is sexy, your pubs are lively. You gave me a soda bread with a marmalade in the morning, and an Irish stew with a pint of Guinness draught at night.
You are progressive in your teaching pedagogy. I proudly claimed myself as a Master’s student because the spoon-feeding wasn’t your kind of groove. You let me to have a classroom-studying on Monday to Wednesday, and a self-studying for the rest of days. I was puzzled in developing a plant-based egg substitute from scratch, you provided me the access from Elsevier to Mintel. I was helpless to think about my future, you prepared me with a career workshop and a personal writer coach.
The pandemic was dull, yet you brightened it up. You didn’t care about a toxic positivity you labeled on the good rain and the good storm you had everyday. Your good Irish weather didn’t stop me to explore your mesmerizing cliffs and shores. It’s funny to bring my sunnies and raincoat, my flip flops and boots—altogether for solely one day trip.
I will be missing to see people painting their house when the spring is coming. I will be laughing to remember your water and heater saving habit in the winter. I will be longing to hear the birds chirping and the sugar gliders blinking. I never saw your red fox, but I spotted your seagull. Your churches admonished me of Rome. Your right side driver seat reminded me of home.
Thanks a mil, Dublin!
It is good craic, Ireland!
You are grand!
Cheers,
Elsa
How do you perceive social media in your life? Do you ever feel a hard goodbye? Give your comment by clicking the button below!
It spends time to live in binary, and it takes time to leave sagaciously.
Interesting write-up👌🏾