Friday, 19 April, 2024
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OPINION

Friends On Facebook



Rishi Ram Paudyal

My Facebook friends might have found me quite unusual when I sometimes send friend requests and at other times without providing any pre-information, I unfriend them. Upon receiving my friend request, apparently being surprised and confused, one of my previous Facebook friends wrote this in the messenger box: "Hello, sir. Have you sent me a friend request? We are already friends. Just wanted to make sure...was that you?" In response I wrote, "Yes, Ma’m. Recently I had unfriended many of my friends and remained almost only me, thinking I would have lots of time. But that was not true for me. So again I am sending friend requests to most of my previous friends. Thank you, Ma’m, for asking. Very wise. Namaste." I earnestly offer my humble apologies to those affected by such actions.
Any action seems to have a reason behind. Even if people say 'I did so and so for nothing', there appears to be something that has triggered them to act as they do. If that is the case, why did I invite people to be friends with me on Facebook and why did I unfriend them? Have I been crazy? Did I want to play 'an annoying' game? Did I have nothing to do and wanted to pass time? Of course, not. I don't think I have lost my sanity. No, no, my intention has never been to make people angry with me or disrespect them. Neither did I have a whole lot of free time nor did I enjoy 'playing annoying Ping-Pong' of inviting people and unfriending them. If so, what were the factors that triggered me to act as I did?
To tell you the truth, you can be acutely vulnerable and Facebook can come upon you so heavy sometimes. It can directly or indirectly affect you in many, many ways. It might make you jealous and judgmental. Oh, so and so people have so many friends but I have only a few. I don't much appreciate what so and so people post. I shouldn't miss to mention all those birthdays, anniversaries, (self) advertisements, (self) praises, achievements, awards, webinars, invitations, celebrations, journeys by air and land, selfies and photographs, all sorts of visits, RIPs (rest in peace), pictures of drinks and food items, acts of drinking, eating, dancing, making faces, satires, jokes, verbal attacks, foul language, all those YouTube and other links, all those 'traps', and many, many more; much, much more.
Now you find yourself drowning pretty deep. You are in danger and that you can't let yourself go any further down. So you wildly throw your feet and hands and come to the surface and gasp for air. When you're at the shore, you feel a bit dazed, a bit foggy, and a bit guilty that you wasted your time in vain. Now, being angry with yourself rather than with the Facebook friends, you begin to unfriend them as if they were the culprits. The brute fact was that you couldn't control and handle all the bombardments of information.
Before long, as a social being, you feel kind of lonely without friends around and begin to send the friend requests again. The act of friending and unfriending seems to go on forever for some vulnerable people.