Facebook – A Shiny Trojan Horse

A lifestyle comment ...


I thoroughly dislike Facebook. There. I said it aloud. And I know I’m not alone. Maybe I should start a Facebook Healing Program: “Hi. My name is LinDee and I’m a recovering Facebook member.”

I can’t say I’ve ever been a Facebook fanatic. I used to be a private person and my sole purpose for joining was to connect with others on a business level. But its uses for many people are multi-level, appealing to every aspect of life. And I do mean every.

 

Have you ever visited FB’s various policy and information pages? They’re very enlightening. Right from the beginning they tell us (and we ignore the connotation): “We are building Facebook to make the world more open and transparent. …” (www.facebook.com/principles.php)

“The world” – as in governments and enforcement agencies that are supposed to protect us, yes; but the world, as in each individual, should NOT be transparent to the point of vulnerability to the mass villains!

My Life According to FreeCell

Like checking your Horoscope every morning before your day begins, I play FreeCell to shake loose the dreamy cobwebs and help a cuppa steaming coffee stimulate my sleepy brain.

I’ve played it for years—back in the early 2000s I waited impatiently in a Phoenix Discount Tire Center for my Jeep’s new shoes to be installed. Looking up from the two-year-old magazine in hand, I spotted the counterman at the computer—you know how the monitors half-face front so customers can see the screen?

He was playing FreeCell. Solitaire is in my card-playing blood and I’d not heard of this game?! I eagerly attacked the counter and “John” showed me a few moves. When he was called to the service area, he graciously allowed me to play his game.

I was hooked—I rushed home, flying smoothly on my Jeep’s new wheels (yes, I splurged for custom rims, too—that was back when I actually had a budget) and installed FreeCell on my PC.

That was ten years or so ago and when I, PC, Sunny the cat, and the Jeepster, returned to my beloved San Diego, FreeCell moved with us.

It wasn’t until this past year however, that I realized how much the same strategic skills utilized in FreeCell mirror our moves in life. How you ask? Let me count the ways …