Most of the time, I’m embarrassed to be a millennial. There. I said it. Go ahead and rag on me if you must. But geez, honestly, we seem so… lifeless. Just yesterday I was waiting for a seminar to start, along with a crowd of college students. Instead of holding casual conversations, my friends were scrolling through social media posts, eyes locked on their screens like they’d been brainwashed by aliens. I sighed and looked around the room to see the vast majority of people doing the same.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy social media. I’m actually an adamant Twitter advocate; I’ve been able to befriend members of my favorite bands and meet people who share the same values as me. We’ve met up at concerts and it’s been a blast! But even still —
Social media is not an accurate depiction of who we are.
It’s a lie... a fantasy world where we create perceptions of ourselves. The pictures we post are no longer “Kodak moments” that someone happened to capture. They’re moments we fabricated after twelve takes, the right lighting, and a filter that takes away our flaws.
But here’s the thing — I like flaws.
Maybe it’s just me and maybe all of you will roll your eyes and keep scrolling, as per usual. Because who likes imperfections, right? We want to live in the glorified utopian universe that exists only in our devices, untainted by the awkwardness of life.
I chose the picture above to go along with this article because my right hand ended up in a funky position. It probably didn't catch your attention — I didn’t notice until a whole day after I posted it, and when I did, I couldn’t help but laugh. It didn’t feel weirdly situated at the moment; I was too stoked to be meeting Judah (of Judah & the Lion, who you should totally check out here). I was taking it all in; I didn’t care what I looked like. I was too lost in the thrill of meeting someone I look up to both musically and spiritually.
Speaking of bands and social media… my favorite band of all time (forever and ever amen) has the perfect lyric to sum up my thoughts — as they always do.
“I wonder why I put a filter between beauty and my eyes.” -Relient K, "Look On Up"
So. I challenge you to capture life as it is. In all its messiness, in all its dysfunction, in all its glory. Disprove the adults who think we are fake faces only worried about their likes on Instagram and Facebook. When you feel the urge to edit out your mishaps, pause and remember that you can’t alter life. Use the reality filter, friends. It looks good on ya.
