Social Media Etiquette

We’ve prioritized all of the wrong things and forgot about the fundamentals, in that tainting the foundations of our relationships. We live in a broadcasted society, where we all have platforms to vent, present, and inquire new and old information from. Some people over share while others are ghosts – whatever your choice of topic may be, the most common concept is relationships. Think about it, we share hoping someone would like, comment, agree, or differ from our ideas and hope they voice their opinions and provide insight. BUT there is a grey area, with new power come new responsibilities – here are 3 key points to remember for social media etiquacy:

DO NOT Make Public, What You’d Otherwise Keep Private If You Had Someone To Vent To.

Don’t post negative commentary after a heated argument, dispute, or disagreement.  We’ve first got to step back, breathe and reanalyze the situation. What goes on social media is like ink with the power of screen shots, you can delete the post, but that doesn’t take away the possibility that someone screen shot it or that it happened. There’s keeping it real, and then there’s keeping it professional. I hope you know the difference.

We Are NOT Perfect.

We can become our worst critics, or our biggest motivators. We will obviously post good things over bad; we want to share what makes us laugh, what’s made us smile, and what’s worth sharing with the world. Do remember though that WE are in control of what all we post, we are all human, we are NOT perfect. If you like what someone does, reach out. If you admire someone work, compliment them, if you envy someone’s social media life without really knowing the REAL them, take time to do so! We cannot become these oversharing creatures, with little interaction. We post to ignite thought, to share laughs, to spread news, and sometimes to just have someone to vent to.

You HAVE The Choice To Log Off.

People will be people. Again, some will overshare, and others will overstate, but the truth of the matter is that YOU’VE made the choice to keep reading or keep them on your timeline. We will not agree with everyone, nor will we see eye to eye with everyone but is social media really worth stressing over? We’ve numbed our lives through a phone screen or laptop; remember that YOU CAN LOG OFF.

Our society is changing, and growing in every which direction, and we must adapt or get swallowed by its expansion. You don’t need all of those apps, or likes they do not determine worth. Remind those you love that you love them, through a phone call or a letter even. Even with new technology, something tangible is irreplaceable.

 

Sincerely yours,

 

The Chivalrous Economist

The 5 Most Important Things My Grandfather Taught Me.

Anyone and everyone who knows me, or has ever listened to my poetry
knows the influence my Grandfather has had on me. He is the foundation
of our family, and has always been admired as such. We lost him at the
age of 85, in the year 2005 to various health issues. I was only 17,
and even then, I still carry, and still value so many of lessons that
he taught me in those years that he watched over me. I will admit that
some lessons didn’t make sense till years later, and I’m sure there’s
so many more that I’m still to comprehend for years to come. I will
highlight 5 of those important lessons that to this day, I cherish and
partake in.

ONE: Treat Her And Spoil Her Like The Queen That She Is.

– 68 years. 68 years he was married. If he were still alive, it would
have been 77 this year. He treated my Grandmother like the queen that
she is. Every time I ask her about him, her eyes light up. He always‎
walked on the side closest to the road keeping her away from harm, and he provided for her and all 9 of their
kids. I once asked him how he did it, and he said the most important
part was to keep his wife happy.

TWO: Family First.

– I come from a family of over 120 members, and counting (Including
1st cousins and 2nd cousins). Yet when he was still alive, we were
under 80. Every Sunday after church, without a question, we’d all meet
up at his house for the weekly cookout. Every family providing
something, and all of us cousins having the time of our lives since we
all lived in different neighborhoods. He stressed the importance of
always watching out for one another, and reminded us to NEVER forget
our roots nor our culture, for that’s what made us, US.

THREE: Work For Everything You Feel You Deserve; Earn It.

– My Grandfather collected aluminum for income, he’d have no shame in
ripping open trash bags, and digging into dumpsters for just one more
can. My grandfather lived in my uncle’s Texas home, my uncle lived
with his family in Chicago. My uncle never asked him for rent, yet for
over 10 years, my grandfather would fill an envelope with more than
what one would estimate rent to be, EVERY MONTH. And every month, my
uncle would return to sender, never missing a month. My grandfather
found a way to make profit, any and every which way to spoil my
grandmother’s passion for planting flowers and caring for various
kinds of birds. I remember the garden both in the front and back
yards, and the 10+ cages of birds my grandmother loved, adored, and
cared for.

FOUR: Dress Accordingly.

– Even with the field of work my Grandfather partook in, you would
never be able to guess that he came home everyday smelling like waste.
My Grandfather had over 5 suits, various dress shoes, and tejanas to
wear for outings and even just for the evening wear. My Grandfather
even had his house slippers that he took very much pride in. My
Grandfather was respected and admired for always looking sharp. He
told me it was because he deserved to look nice, plus it was just
another way to complement my Grandmother.

FIVE: The Loudest Guy In The Room Is Usually The Least Interesting.

– Anyone in my family can vouch for this last one. My Grandfather
spoke very little, only when you asked him something, or when he
absolutely needed to. But every time he did speak, I swear the house
went quite just to listen. His voice carried so much authority, and
his laugh was one of the best-composed pieces of music I’ve heard in
my entire life. He would always sit in a corner, with his flask he
thought we’d never see, and he would spike his coke. You could tell he
was he wasn’t studying anyone; he was just beyond appreciative to have
all of the family at HIS HOME! He once told me that we could miss so
much if we never took time to appreciate the beauty of everything and
everyone that surrounds us. That spoke volumes to me then, and even
more now.

Stand out by just being you, and be grateful for everyone and
everything that you’ve been blessed with. The gentleman is grateful;
the gentleman only seeks to be better of, never better than.

Sincerely Yours,

The Chivalrous Economist