A very close girlfriend of mine from college took her own life Wednesday. We did not talk often, mostly through Facebook, on which her life appeared perfect. She appeared to have it all: Beauty, brains, family, charm, wit, great job, beautiful children, home, vacations, husband. But deep inside the facade, she was broken. She chose to hide it on Facebook, drawing the portrait of her life she wanted us to see. She always smiled, and made those around her laugh. But did not leave anything inside for herself.
This is the danger of social media's role in our society, especially for people my age and younger who consider it one of their primary modes of staying in touch.
This tragedy has made me learn a tough lesson about how I use Facebook as a crutch for staying in touch, and will from now on will call and check in on the people I care about more often. Even if everything seems fine, it might not be. You just never really know.
Rest in Peace, my beautiful friend. It's clear you did not know how much you were loved, and for that I will always feel deep regret.
Fayetteville, Arkansas, 1996
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