Humanity Turned Off

a poem and some thoughts

A poem...

A screen to disguise.
A screen to divide.

A screen to cry,
With no one nearby.

A screen to reveal,
Humanity at its most real.

Is this who we are?
Is it really true?
I hoped we were better,
But now I feel blue.

I’m afraid we’ve lost,
To a screen filled with lust
And perhaps this is it,
Until we turn to dust.

And some thoughts…

I will admit, this is rather dark. Nevertheless, it is my real, emotional response to the last few days and the ‘no-make-up trend’ I unwittingly started. There are many incredible aspects to social media and technology. But there are equally as many negatives, if not more.

I’ve put myself in the thick of it. A relatively normal girl. Creative. I enjoy simple activities, and yet always dream of more. I was raised to be honest - always. I suppose this is why I am so passionate about revealing the truth behind the many fake and harmful aspects of social media. I believe that honesty prevails. Truth prevails.

I am, however, struggling with the darker aspects of the online world at the moment. So much so that I have decided to escape to the bush. So close to nature I can hear its every movement. I truly believe I can hear the trees talking sometimes (though this might be because I am currently watching the Lord of the Rings extended editions with my fiancé).

As I said, I have put myself in the thick of it and boy have I seen the full spectrum of online personalities.

A tweet and an image. Posted. Hopeful. Pure. Honest. Yet some individuals want to tear it down, tear me down. Individuals who have swallowed a pill so dark and bitter they cough it up and spit it at you.

Trolls.

Projectors.

Sociopaths.

Psychopaths.

Whatever you may call them, they are uglier than the words they spit. They cannot bear an honest person because it is the opposite of what they are. The kind of person who cannot look at their own reflection.

They are the ones that lurk behind the shadows of an anonymous image.

The internet has turned into a platform where people hang up their humanity like a piece of clothing. Humanity has become something we can turn off and on at the switch of a button, or rather the opening of an app. This is what truly frightens me. This is what inspired my poem.

None of this is natural. This entire experience I have had in the past 48 hours is not natural. It doesn’t feel natural. Yet all I can hear is a voice telling me that it is for something important. This must have happened for a reason, right? People are tired of the fake world we tune into at every boring moment of our lives. People are sharing vulnerable images of themselves despite these emotionless trolls who cough up dark words. People want what is real. Both men and women alike.

It is a difficult thing navigating this social media world. I have definitely grown a thick skin. I can only hope it is for a reason. A positive reason. To make a difference in some kind of way. Otherwise, the crying, the enduring, and the insults were for nothing.

Also, please, for the love of God, touch some grass today.