Facebook is such a great tool to reunite long lost frineds and build a stronger bond between current ones. But sadly, things that can be used for "good" also seem to have the ability to be used for "evil" as well.

   Not only has Facebook been used to torment High School students, amazingly it can be used to hurt adults too.

   I know because I am one of them.

   I recently had, what I thought was a REALLY GOOD friend, "unfirend me". It took me about a month to notice, so it was too late to really discuss the problem with her. In fact, to be honest, at the time I really didn't think it WAS a problem. But rather than discuss it with me, she took her friendship away. The ULTIMATE punishment.

    Some people might argue that if she did that over some perceived slight that it really wasn't much of a friendship to begin with, and so there's "no loss".

    But I beg to differ. I believe we were VERY good friends at one point. 

   Maybe it was more than what we disagreed upon. I like to think the best of everyone (Which can sometimes be a negative trait) so I'd like to think that maybe she's just going through a hard time so what I may have said had more of an impact that it normally would have. Or she felt that it was a good way to "get my attention".

   Whatever the reason I just wish she would have given me a chance to talk it out. I would have been happy to accept part of the blame. God knows I'm not perfet, and sometimes say things that hurt others without intending to. But the LAST thing I'd ever puposely do it intentionally hurt a friend.

   I would like to think that deep down she really knows that.

   And I pray that some day I'll be given a chance to make ammends.

    Until then, I will miss you my friend. My thoughts and prayers are with you always.

   Who you are now, espeically if you are more than 10 years away from your High School Graduation date, is (hopefully) NOT who you were then. Yet, sadly,  many of the people who knew you from High School still see you as the person you WERE and refuse to see you any other way. Looking back, I like to think I was a pretty nice person, but Facebook has brought it to my attention that maybe I wasn't. Or maybe it's the person other people "thought I was" whot wasn't. Unless someone is really honest with me that's an answer I may never really know. 

    Facebook can be a really great way to reconnct with old friends and long lost family members. But it can also be a brutal "reality check" too. For there are probably a dozen or more people from my past that I have tried to "friend" and have been rejected. (and since I began I have even been "unfriended" by a few which has been extremely painful to me too)

     I'm one of those people (and maybe you are too) who wants to "get along" with everyone. I HATE to offend people, hurt people, or unitentionally insult people more than anything. I admit I was probably pretty self absorbed in High School, but through a series of really difficult and very painful experiences I think I have become (at least I HOPE I have become) and lot more compassionate and caring and more appreciative of the wonderful people in my life. Because of some things that have happened to me in the past I have come to value my friends and my relationships above ALL ELSE. I wish some of the people who knew me in High School as something "different" than that could at least give me a chance to show them that I have gowns and matured. I would LOVE to share some of those experinces with them, I would love to ask forgivness for whatever I may have done to make them choose not to "friend me" now, I would love to have the opportunity to show them I am not that person that they knew back then. 

    As I am sure they aren't either.

   I wish I didn't take this all so personally. Reaching out and CARING has it's drawbacks too. It's PAINFUL when you get rejected. 

   I just saw this entry on Facebook: "Martha Stewart's daughter now has an entire show devoted to slamming her mother.... SERIOUSLY! How low can you go".

  My response? Lower than that obviously.

  Isn't it sad that people who are totally and completely nasty, mean and disrespectful get their own TV shows... yet people who are kind, generous, thoughtful and respectful get NOTHING??? It's says a LOT about our society that what we consider to be "negative behavior" gets rewarded with million dollar contracts... while people who are trying to be "good" are not. We don't even get :30 on the evening newscast. What are we teaching our children????? Act like a moron and you'll be famous. (or infamous... either way you make millions... and most people don't differentiate between those two anymore anyway) In fact the worse you act the more potential you have to get attention and accolades.

   Shows that  delve into the very WORST of the human spirit make millions in advertiser dollars. While shows that send positive messages often get cancelled due to lack of interest. (I can't begin to tell you how hard it is to find sponsors for my TV show and even then I barely break even)

   When did rudeness, nastiness, and catty remarks start passing for "entertainment"? And how can we expect children to respect us when these shows teach them that the more disrespectful they are to someone the more well known and well paid they will become?

  The truth of the matter is: people watch these shows. LOTS of people. And until they switch the channel there are going to be more and more of these shows filling the airwaves. At the risk of sounding "old".... this is depressing.

   The "shock factor" plays into this too. Yesterdays "Shocking show" is todays SNOOZEFEST. So show creators have to "up and ante" and find people who behave in increasingly revolting ways to get viewers to watch. It really scares me to think about what's coming next.

   What will get people talking now? Do we do a reality show on pedophiles to watch them in action? I don't think that's as big a reach as I used to.

   And that makes me sad.

   A Wichita girl won a NATIONAL contest for teens who are doing good things and making the world a better place. Not one... and I mean NOT ONE of the traditional newscasts herein town even did a story on her. Interviewing her for my show was one of the greatest experiences of my career. Why don't we give someone like her, her own show? Why not encourage very teen in America to follow her example? The sad truth is, had she shot up a school she would have been the lead story on every newscast, been featured on the cover of "Time" and "Newsweek" and fielded offers to write a book. Again, what are we teaching our children?