Facebook and Postmodernism

Before I start another rant, I want to update on planning. We spent some time evaluating our existing Strategic Plans and that went ok. I spent some great time looking at why we plan and came away more convinced than ever that the process of strategic planning is extremely valuable. Sometimes the plan documents themselves aren't so valuable, but the process of thinking and discussing "where are we now?" and "where do we want to go?" and "what ideas do we have about getting there?" is critical. Given our upcoming 50th anniversary celebration next year, I am excited about leading our community through the dreaming and discussing of what the next 50 years will look like!

Now on to the rant... I signed up for facebook last week. I did it for several reasons:

1. My kids are there and I wanted to see what they were doing (I trust them, but I am curious)
2. I am a technology guy, People are talking about it, and I wanted to check it out. see how it works.
3. I want to be open to using new tools. Hey, if its better, I want to be part of the solution.

So, I signed up. At first I didn't get it. It seemed like a big waste of time. I really didn't care what music my "friends" were listening to and who wrote on John's wall, etc. I kept thinking to myself, "Self, how can I use this?" "How is this useful for communication or education or...." In talking to Ryan about it, a light bulb came on and then it hit me... I am not my son's generation. Now this may not be a surprise to most of you, but it often hits me with great surprise. Usually, its when I am trying to do something competitive with a 20-something guy at camp! or discussing "history" and find the subject is just part of my memory, not "history." The postmodern generation, or whatever modernists label we try to put on them... isn't at all concerned with the "usefulness" of facebook. They enjoy the connectedness and low cost of entry. Its not a "big deal" formal thing and they can keep up with their friends. Its pretty simple. In my 1,2,3 (reference above list) way of thinking, I made all the wrong assumptions going in. Good thing God's thoughts are higher than my thoughts, eh?

And in unrelated news, I found my old document that I have kept for decades (literally, for 20+ years! - it started out in MultiMate)... Here is a sample:

"The world is full of people who have never, since childhood, met an open doorway with an open mind." ‑ E. B. White