I Don't Believe It

It's no surprise that envy is classed as one of the seven deadly sins. It's a destructive characteristic that steers people away from appreciating what they already do have, to being greedy and desperate in constantly wanting more and more in life, and forever being jealous of what others possess. Whilst social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, have all become the perfect platform for businesses to advertise their products and services on, it's also become the perfect platform for individuals and couples alike, to advertise their life on also. Unlike the fact that businesses have to pay to advertise, individuals get to do it for free, selling themselves to the world at no cost. It's the ideal outlet in which people love to inflate their ego, and achieve the satisfaction that comes with gaining numerous likes, shares, and comments, from all the photos and posts they submit to their profile wall. Perhaps many people do so because they lack self-respect and self-appreciation, and they need this injection of recognition and acknowledgement from others, in order to feel better about themselves. Perhaps they genuinely believe that no one cares for them, that they aren't liked, and they aren't accepted. Perhaps they do so purely out of seeking attention to themselves. In fact, this last reason is one of the main reasons why so many people love to jump on their social media accounts several times throughout the day, to post photos and comments. Because they want attention! Many of these attention seekers sit facing their mobile phone or their computer screen, suffering behind the scenes. Their life is filled with unhappiness, misery, failure, hurt, rejection, dissatisfaction, and sadness, but looking at their profile, you wouldn't guess that to be the case in a million years.

When it comes to many people, it's all about these three words; "keeping up appearances". Whilst there are those who love to air their dirty laundry out on social media, taking out their anger and frustrations in life by furiously typing away, whinging and complaining about someone or something, there are also those who love to portray themselves in a manner that they believe elevates them above everyone else. They love to have everyone believe that they have the most perfect life, that everything goes their way, and even that they are wealthy. That may come about by showcasing themselves to be in a faultless relationship, or that they own all the new state of the art technological devices, or that they drive this flashy new sports car. These are the type of people who delight in generating envy and jealousy amongst the group of people that I talked of above, who are saddened by not having all the fancy and luxurious things that others have in life. These people want to be recognized, they want to be envied, they want to be popular, they want to be liked, they want to be admired, and they want to be respected. For some reason, it pains them to ever have anyone view them as being someone who makes mistakes, someone who has faults, someone who has issues, someone who has anything but the perfect life. That fear of other people judging them, and perhaps mocking them or making them feel inferior, is like a disease within them. The thing is, what you view on social media, and how these people may love to portray themselves in public, quite often does not truly show their true life.

It's no secret, that so many people will post photos and comments on their social media accounts that are not a true reflection of their actual circumstances, or their life in general. They portray a fake perfect life in a bid to look good to others. What's even worse are the number of people who are actually sucked in by it. As a result of being fooled by this fake perfection, not only do we then see envy and jealousy being generated, we also see people start to make comparisons. Couples start to bicker over why their relationship can't be as good, why they can't have the same material possessions, why they can't have a better car, why they can't have as great a lifestyle, and so on. Today's quote sums it all up beautifully though. People are envious of those with perfect lives on social media, when those perfect lives are mere illusions, and don't truly exist. I can think of at least a couple of people I know personally, who love to portray themselves as being someone who lives the perfect life without any worries, hassles, or concerns, whilst also making themselves appear as being this flawless individual. I know that behind the scenes, that's far from the truth. There's one person who only ever posts on social media when they are off on some exotic holiday, or when they are posting a family photo. As a stranger who is an onlooker to their profile, you would honestly be fooled into believing that all this individual does is travel, spend time with their family, and live the high life. In real life, they are someone who is constantly desperate for more possessions, more money, and they are never satisfied. They will always look to buy stylish décor and brand name clothing, so they can showcase themselves as being wealthy to everyone else. All the while, they are over half a million dollars in debt.

The truth is, no one lives the perfect life. Every single one of us deal with personal issues, adversities, problems, and trials. Every single one of us make mistakes. None of us are ever right all the time. We are all human! Some of us are honest and open about our lives, detailing both our triumphs and the tribulations to others without the fear of being judged and criticized, whilst others like to be secretive and portray themselves as being perfect. We don't want to get in the habit of sharing all the negatives going on in our life, especially not on social media, but there will always be times where we will need the support of others to assist us through difficult circumstances, so it's encouraged we talk openly and honestly with our friends and loved ones where needed. At the end of the day, we want to be spreading positivity, and be sharing our successes and accomplishments with others, but we should be doing so honestly, not by lying, or in a bid to look good, or to make others envious. Being fake achieves nothing! In fact, if we have to falsely portray ourselves in such a manner on social media, we need to take a long, hard look at ourselves and understand the real reason behind why we are doing so, and then address the issue. Why do we seek attention? Why do we feel the need to be liked and admired? Our character, personality and attitude, aren't defined by the number of likes, shares, and comments we get on our social media profile, nor even by the number of friends we have, but they are defined by who we truly are, and our actions and behavior in reality. So if you find yourself looking at the profiles of certain individuals on social media, and viewing their constant perfect portrayal of having the perfect life, don't believe it to be true. Don't become envious or competitive about something that is more likely than not, to be an illusion. Turn off your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, and resist the temptation of perusing through social media, unless it's for motivational purposes, as it has little benefit to you and the success and happiness you desire in life. Focus and invest time instead on your own goals, with a constant hunger of bettering yourself, and be creating a life and future that you desire.

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