Dear open letter,
Hi, melodramatically staged diary entry. It’s me, the girl who can’t take it anymore. It’s been months and I can’t seem to get you out of my head. Mostly because every time I scroll through my Facebook feed, you are all I see. Why can’t I escape you?
Is it because you are so relatable? It seems like everybody has a broken heart these days, and the only way to cope is to spill your soul out in a 500-word post. Whatever happened to a simple relationship status change? Or posting somber lyrics to alternative songs, then moving on? When did we get so dramatic?
It seems like you just don’t want me to forget how much I was taken for granted, or how bad my heart was broken. Thank you, open letter. I get it. Your goal is to make me feel like I’m not alone in getting screwed over, but guess what? I know that.
Open letter, you claim to be different and understanding, but you are always the same. When thousands and thousands of you are constantly shared, I can’t help but wonder what you are trying to prove. A new sense of self? A revival? It seems more like a new tactic of putting up a front. Either way, there is only one word to describe your overabundant internet presence, and it is exhausting.
It sounds harsh to just say “get over it." But it is even harsher to force unnecessary reminiscing and over-the-top soliloquies onto innocent victims just scrolling through Facebook. Writing has always been a great way to express feelings you are too afraid to say aloud, but doesn’t posting these feelings for everyone to see defeat the purpose? The only point I see in you, open letter, is that in posting these “private” confessions, the person you are dedicated to will see it and come crawling back with an apology. If your point is individual closure, how are you providing that?
People get hurt. Life goes on. And once a letter is open, it is hard to close. Instead of keeping your bitter thoughts open, maybe the best key to moving on is sealing the letter and mailing it far away from the people of the Internet.
Sincerely,
A girl who can’t relate.
