Stop Wasting Your Time Doing This!

FrankViolaBlog - Stop Wasting Your Time Doing This!

---

Stop Wasting Your Time Doing This!

Posted: 25 Jun 2015 04:41 AM PDT

Before I launch into today’s post, I’m seriously perplexed.
On Monday, I posted my 2015 Blog Reader Survey and asked nicely — I said “Please” with a capital “P” even — that you take 2 minutes (yes, 2 whole minutes) out of your busy schedule to fill it out.
To my surprise (no, to my shock), only .05% of you have done so.
So I want to thank those of you who took the 2 minutes out of your busy schedules to respond to my really nice request.
But to the rest of you, can you pause and take 2 minutes to fill it out for me? Pretty please?
Right now, the numbers are way too small for me to get an accurate sample. And I use the information in the survey to improve this blog and my other writing and audio projects for you, my readers.
So pretty please with cherries and blueberries on top – take 2 minutes out of your grinding schedule and answer the survey.
HERE IT IS AGAIN
Okay, I’ll now wait for you to go fill it out and return to read today’s post . . .
Waiting … (thumb roll) 1 minute past.
Waiting … (humming) 2 minutes past.
Okay, here we go.
Stop Wasting Your Time Doing This!
While I’m not a fan of Facebook groups, I do enjoy connecting with people on my Facebook page.
However, from time to time, I’ll look at some of the news feeds of my friends. And I’ll see some of them getting roped into full-blown doctrinal beatdowns on their walls.
In like manner, I’ve been pulled into countless Facebook groups – meaning, people  “joined” me.
I don’t follow these groups and rarely make a comment.
However, once in a while I’ll get tagged, so I end up looking at the thread.
For the last seven years in observing these groups, I’ve lost count of the knock-down, drag-out, WWE-styled smackdowns over biblical topics I’ve seen.
The people go back and forth, some ending up being so infuriated that they end up blocking their debating opponents.
In addition, some of the befuddled contentious souls are routinely banned from these groups.
(Oh, these are all “Christians” groups mind you, Ahem . . . )
Not once during these blood-lettings have I ever seen anyone change their minds.
Lots of wasted time and energy is burned up in these threads. And for that reason, people leave them constantly.
Why, then, do people continue to argue and exchange theological blows on Facebook?
These are the thoughts that have gone through my mind whenever I’ve observed these things:

“Has it not dawned on them that their comments are not making a dent in the minds of others?”

“Do they have too much time on their hands, so debating and angering people is a pleasant hobby for them?”

“Do they have a lot of pent up frustration that they are unwittingly unleashing on the pour souls who are part of these groups?”

“Have they still not discovered the other means that actually impact people and change hearts and minds?”

Now, I’m sure there may be a few exceptions to the above. (In life, there are always the .001% exceptions.)
Surprising, shortly after I wrote this post and put it in my queue, one of my Facebook friends made this comment on his wall:

Facebook is not a place for intelligent dialogue. I have learned very few people can have a rational discussion about just about anything. I look, but have learned to refrain from engaging current political, religious or cultural topics. The vast majority of people already have their minds made up on a given issue and viewpoint. Facebook is merely a place they use to reinforce that viewpoint and anything challenging them is viciously attacked. 

Interesting, eh?
My point is simple.
Facebook isn’t the place to change people’s minds.
It’s a great way to keep up with old friends or — if you’re a writer — to connect with your readers.
But in terms of real impact and changing people’s minds, there are far more effective ways of doing both.
Oh, if you saw my post on the mentoring project from last week, I’m working on a safe place where Christians can receive mentoring and connect with others of like mind and heart at the same time.
And that project will have nothing to do with Facebook.