Art by Sorimachi Akira
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” — Maya Angelou
I remember when I first heard about instagram. A friend of mine, let’s call her Tina, introduced me to it during a lunch break in school. I believe it was in 2014. The conversation went something like this:
Tina: “People share photos of themselves and of different things, like flowers or food or things they like”.
Me: “Who gives a shit about what flowers someone likes?”
Clearly, it was a different time back then.
Things have since changed, and sharing different aspects of our lives has become the new normal. We no longer find it strange or questionable when someone shares pictures and videos of random, everyday events. Even serious and sacred life events like weddings, childbirth and conversations about sensitive topics are widely shared and accepted (even welcomed and encouraged).
Yet, to this day, whenever I’m about to share something online, I still often find myself asking the question “why would anyone give a shit about this?”. Even though I know, deep down, that some people actually do care. How do I know that? Because they tell me. You all tell me. But also because I care about some of the posts that I see on my feed, too. Cooking accounts make me happy; interior accounts make me feel inspired; dog accounts bring a smile (and sometimes tears) to my face. A quote or a story can make me think about some pretty damn important things, all because someone chose to share it.
The truth is that, as human beings, we enjoy sharing our experiences, and we like it when others share their experiences with us, too. It just happens to be that we live in a time when the term “sharing” no longer only refers to in-person.
Sharing brings people together. Sharing is fun. Sharing makes others feel included. Sharing brings hope. Sharing makes people laugh, cry, smile and think. Sharing can change lives. I need to remind myself of that anytime I feel ridiculous for sharing a photo of my oatmeal or a video of my puppy sleeping peacefully.
So here I am, this Monday morning, sharing these thoughts with you, and I invite you to think about the following:
What’s one way you could bring more shared experiences into your life? What’s something you’ve wanted to share (perhaps on the internet) but that you haven’t? Do you believe that sharing more experiences with people (whether that’s sharing a meal with a friend in-person, or posting something about your day online) could have a positive impact on your life (or on the lives of others) in any way?
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For a person who struggles with anxiety, this brought me comfort and encouragement. Many times I tend to overthink the things I share on the internet thinking about “what will people think about me” or just like you mentioned, “who gives a shit about it” but then I came to a realization that I’m doing it for myself because I give many “shits” about it and so do the true people I have in my life. I love you’re Monday reads Lana, I truly do and they motivate me so so much. I am thankful for your dedication.
wow i've never thought about it that way. i've always been someone who thinks people posting mundane things from their lives as pointless but this brought me a new perspective (: