Are virtual friends real?
Proverbs 18:24--Just when I think I've heard and seen it all . . . Not only can we have virtual friends on social media, we can hire friends.
There's a growing industry that now provides friends OR family for rent--for a hefty fee.
The client completes an in depth form with the physical and personality attributes they desire. Then the company matches the request with an actor who will fill the role.
The owner of one company in Japan has over 800 employees. He said with the rise of social media his business is growing. Some clients want to appear more popular and will hire actors to play their friends in various photos. Some clients want a physical friend, but on their terms.
I suppose if you have enough money you can indeed buy friends.
The definition of a friend is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a mutual bond of affection--typically exclusive of sexual or family relations. A bond of affection.
While social media can be entertaining and informative, it's an environment that cannot support reality. Realty begins with contact outside virtual--a letter, a cup of coffee, a phone call.
Let's face it, reality is messy. Relationships are emotional, complicated, and time-consuming.
For every treasure we might find virtually, there are hundreds who will only show us what they want to see.
When we "acquire" many friends through artificial means, it's like eating empty calories. These relationships won't feed the soul.
If we truly want to grow emotional and spiritually, we have to invest ourselves into some form of reality. We have to be transparent and truthful before the sparks of iron sharpening iron can happen (Proverbs 27:17).
I do have "real" friends on social media. Dear souls I've yet to meet. I count them as special. They've shared pieces of their heart that are endearing, and I treasure that.
I suspect these folks are people who have spent years developing friendships that are real--not virtual, or rented. They already know how to cultivate relationships and can shine as authentic in a virtual world.
If you're lonely and feel your only friends are those you acquire through social media, look up and look out. There are others who are lonely. Maybe your neighbor--the one you've waved at for years.
Begin with taking over a plate of cookies and introducing yourself. Go for a walk. Get to know one another.
I can guarantee it will be time-consuming, and messy from time to time. And, it may not even work out, but keep trying. Who knows, there may be a friend out there who will be closer than a brother or sister.
May we learn how to be a real friend, my friends.
Proverbs 18:24--A man with many friends may be harmed by them, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Tree of Life Bible Society Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible #tlvproverbs
[WATCH MONDAY through FRIDAY LIVE at 8:30EST, Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with the book of Proverbs. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
There's a growing industry that now provides friends OR family for rent--for a hefty fee.
The client completes an in depth form with the physical and personality attributes they desire. Then the company matches the request with an actor who will fill the role.
The owner of one company in Japan has over 800 employees. He said with the rise of social media his business is growing. Some clients want to appear more popular and will hire actors to play their friends in various photos. Some clients want a physical friend, but on their terms.
I suppose if you have enough money you can indeed buy friends.
The definition of a friend is a person whom one knows and with whom one has a mutual bond of affection--typically exclusive of sexual or family relations. A bond of affection.
While social media can be entertaining and informative, it's an environment that cannot support reality. Realty begins with contact outside virtual--a letter, a cup of coffee, a phone call.
Let's face it, reality is messy. Relationships are emotional, complicated, and time-consuming.
For every treasure we might find virtually, there are hundreds who will only show us what they want to see.
When we "acquire" many friends through artificial means, it's like eating empty calories. These relationships won't feed the soul.
If we truly want to grow emotional and spiritually, we have to invest ourselves into some form of reality. We have to be transparent and truthful before the sparks of iron sharpening iron can happen (Proverbs 27:17).
I do have "real" friends on social media. Dear souls I've yet to meet. I count them as special. They've shared pieces of their heart that are endearing, and I treasure that.
I suspect these folks are people who have spent years developing friendships that are real--not virtual, or rented. They already know how to cultivate relationships and can shine as authentic in a virtual world.
If you're lonely and feel your only friends are those you acquire through social media, look up and look out. There are others who are lonely. Maybe your neighbor--the one you've waved at for years.
Begin with taking over a plate of cookies and introducing yourself. Go for a walk. Get to know one another.
I can guarantee it will be time-consuming, and messy from time to time. And, it may not even work out, but keep trying. Who knows, there may be a friend out there who will be closer than a brother or sister.
May we learn how to be a real friend, my friends.
Proverbs 18:24--A man with many friends may be harmed by them, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Tree of Life Bible Society Tree of Life Version - TLV #tlvbible #tlvproverbs
[WATCH MONDAY through FRIDAY LIVE at 8:30EST, Tree of Life Bible Society's CEO, Daniah Greenberg and me, Terri Gillespie, Author dig a little deeper with the book of Proverbs. Watch previous episodes there as well. Stay wise, my friends!]
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