Through the years along every path of life, there are two choices for finding satisfaction and/or resolution, visit the Garden of Eden if you need to get to the root of it all.  The vast majority of us will take the obvious, planting our feet firm and living our lives with what is presented to us – good, bad or indifferent, and continue along hoping each day for the best.  Some however, prefer a more life “changing” route, living as they choose to see it in their head, even if it means major rewrites.

What comes to mind immediately, is the example of an old fisherman and his catch of the day.  The catch becomes longer and longer as his tale is told, long after the fish is long gone. Yes, he brought home something along with his whale of a tale, but what existed and what lived in his head were two very different scenarios.  You see, there truly is something fishy afoot these days, with people and how they view themselves, and the lives they lead vs. the truth.

Facebook has become the ultimate tool for not facing reality and redesigning life.  It makes me wonder what the next advancement will be.  Photoshop already offers the ability to be in and out of places we’ve never seen, so why not add the correct verbiage and live the life we think we have. Maybe someday, we will see an avatar actually living our pseudo life, so we can present it to the public… ready to be liked or shared, which will validate the script rewrites so many prefer to reality.  Indeed the ultimate box from Pandora waits.

I hope I am not among the minority of people who read posts on Facebook, letting my jaw drop at pictures or “reminisced” events that omit or forget the truth, while self-promoting the poster as the perfect child, family member or friend.  I just shake my head, as they are given likes… oohs…ahhs, and an assortment of little smiles and hearts. Seriously, who wants to  post the truth… knowing they will face a cyber storm of invisible backlash?  The level of insecurity this world promotes is pathetic, and it only adds to the caliber of people society is turning out.  Living in your own head is now the norm, forgetting we are all in the life together for a reason, and despite how great your head may be, it isn’t being used for the right reason.

When my daughters were younger, whenever there was doubt in a conversation I would ask is this a story or the truth? After a few moments, it was sorted out and we’d talk about how they wished something was true, and looked closer at the facts and what really happened, as well as what could have been made better. Now however, there is no story keeper, and what people wish happened lives large and in charge in their head, propelling them into personal satisfaction and facebook fame.  The sad part is nothing is learned from the truth, no goals, changes or admissions, which are there to make a person better.  Reminds me of a rotten potato, after a while you need to cut away so much it’s best to just give up.  Looking at society I think we have done just that.

Time is long past to remember we have a head for knowledge and common sense, and not an attic of fake memories to recreate history and ourselves for public acceptance. Learning from mistakes, the past and events we played a part in, are what give character to otherwise flat and generic souls.  How can we ever expect to chart a course if we refuse to acknowledge where we have been, and reflect upon the events that forever changed us both good and bad?  Is public acceptance really worth the value of a soul?

Next time you remember an event or person in your life be truthful, slap yourself and say why wasn’t I there or why did I do what I did? Then see the good more clearly, and cherish what you did right (you can be assured they did!) and accept the treasured memories you are justified to have.  Maybe you weren’t the greatest person, maybe you were selfish, angry or forgetful, but accept it!  It is part of the process, and by seeing it honestly; the next time you will have a chance to be better.  As any inventor will tell you, go back to the drawing board and see what went right and what was done wrong, and make the next attempt better.

The process is simple; however the backbone and discipline it requires take more than a little effort.  You wouldn’t rob a bank, so why rob yourself of who you really are?  We all need to face the facts eventually, life isn’t always a bowl of cherries there are a lot of pits.  We all have a cherry tree story somewhere we wish we didn’t, but it’s time to own it nevertheless.