Facebook?

    When I first made my Facebook account, I didn’t think much of it because I already had a MySpace account. At that time, MySpace was the most popular internet social networking site and I would browse it once in a while. Then suddenly, the entire MySpace community plus everyone else migrated to Facebook. I was heard from everybody around me, saying that “Facebook is so much better [than MySpace].” So, I ditched MySpace and started using my Facebook account. These people that added me (or I added them) were not really my “Friends”. These “Friends” were former classmates of mine, whom I hardly ever see in person. The first thing I noticed was the status updates. I became aware that most of my “Friends” were posting status updates, videos, and photos to express their large egos. In other words, they were showing off.  Then I saw that most users had well over 500 “friends”. I only have a few close friends and I find it hard to imagine having 500 close friends.

    I thought to myself, “What is the purpose of Facebook if these users aren’t really ‘Friends’ with one another?” To me, it appears that Facebook is a site where people put up illusions of themselves. Whenever you put any information on your Facebook page, that information is made public to all your “Friends”. When a user posts “last night was fun”, that user intends for all his or her “friends” to see it. And then I asked myself, “Why would this person want everybody to know that he or she had a great time last night?” Well, there’s always a reasonable answer. The most reasonable answer is probably because Facebook users wish to satisfy their need for attention. This becomes a “game” where Facebook users battle each other by comparing their self value against each other. Facebook is very much like the High School popularity contest, except without the “high school” part. I find Facebook as a flawed technological social medium because of its structure. It is structured in a format where the users may project “shadows” of their true identities.

Nightmare

    Plato’s “cave” reminds me of my own personal “cave” that I struggle through. Throughout most of my life, I have been caged within my own personal “cave”. I have been a prisoner to my own mind by falling victim to my own fears. I can remember when this all started. In the 10th grade or sophomore year in high school, I had a nervous breakdown. Before my nervous breakdown, I was a happy, energetic, social person. After this event, I was never the same again. This nervous breakdown was both mental and physical. Mental in that my parents had put so much pressure on me that summer to learn to drive, learn to swim, get a job, and get good grades to go to a UC college. At the same time, it was physical because I had stopped eating and my diet basically consisted of soda and Gatorade (that’s a lot of acid). I broke down and sunk deep into my shell. I became so afraid of everything that I could hardly leave the house. It was hard to raise any confidence for myself since I had developed acid reflex and an eating disorder. It was really hard for me to do anything because I felt like throwing up constantly. I still had to go to school next year, because my parents forced me. But, I wasn’t the same kid in school. I was in a constant state of panic while at school. I was afraid and really nervous during class participation and class presentations because I was afraid I might throw up in front of everyone. I was really sad and disappointed by what my life was and all I could think about was suicide. I felt that living this way was torturous and that the only way I could find peace was through death. I never actually committed suicide, but it was on my mind 24/7.

    Eventually, I did begin to fight my fears. I put in personal effort to expose myself to the outside world and I was able to gain some confidence back, though it was gradual. After graduating high school, I did eventually learn how to swim, drive, got a job, and went to a city college for school. I did everything at my own pace, even though others might consider it as "slow". At times it has been very hard for me, but I was able to keep my fears at bay. Two years ago, I met my girlfriend online and took a big step by getting onto a plane (first time flying alone) and flew 3,000 miles to meet her in person. She has given me inspiration and strength to live. I’ve gone a long way, but I still haven’t defeated my fears. I’m still very nervous about attending my new school here at San Francisco State University. It’s my first semester here and I don’t know what to expect. I guess I’m still in the process of crawling out of my “cave”. I know that I’m locked inside my own “cave”, but I want to get out because I do want to live the life that I desire. One thing I know for sure is that it’s not fun to live inside a cave.

The Journey Through

    After reading a translation of Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, it reminded me of my own curiosities of life and the search for the Ultimate Truth (if there is one). As a human being, I was born as a creature of curiosity. I have always looked at the world that we know as a puzzle and I guess my purpose in life is to figure out “where do I fit within this puzzle?” I’m pretty sure the rest of the world is and has been asking similar questions. After all, religion has been one of the strongest driving forces in human nature. When I was born into this world, I knew close to nothing. My natural instincts drove me to eat, sleep, and play. Looking back, I see my younger self as a piece of clay being molded into fashion as society sees fit. But as I grew, I did begin to learn of my environment.  As school years stacked upon me, I began to understand society’s expectations of me. Social protocol called for me to finish grade school, then graduate college, get a well paid job, start a family, and then die (hopefully after I’ve seen my kids grow old). Eventually, I realized that the world that I see only contains parts of the truth. I became conscious that I was an actor playing out a script that I did not write.


      In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave”, the man (or prisoner) steps out of the cave and is shown light. This man eventually realizes some of the truth, but this isn’t the end. One day, the man steps on the moon and realizes that there are stars and galaxies. Another day, the man steps into a lab and splits atoms apart to discover more truths. Man has always been driven by curiosity to take steps towards the truth. Each time man takes a step, he steps into a whole new, stranger world that he doesn’t understand yet. I noticed the irony employed by Plato’s “cave” metaphor. Plato compares the fire in the cave to the sun outside. In my perspective, I believe Plato is saying that the world outside the cave is no different than the world inside the cave and that if the man keeps taking steps, he will eventually end up back where he started, a circle. Plato is saying that the world outside the cave is no more “real” than the world inside the cave. I feel exactly like this “man” from Plato’s “cave” metaphor. The more I learn, the more confused I become. I find that every answer that I get only brings up more questions. As my vision of the world opens wider, I begin to see more and more things. I see things that I don’t understand and the truth becomes more elusive. After learning so much and knowing so little, I come to realize that I might be looking in the wrong direction. Maybe, I shouldn’t be looking for the answers outside. Maybe, this world is an illusion and I should be looking inside myself. Perhaps, if I look deep enough … I might be able to find the Ultimate Truth.