"Social" Media

Let me tell you a story. There was a boy who spent hours in his head, thinking about interesting things like geometry and strategy games, and arguably not enough talking to others. Shy, one might say. (there are so many misconceptions about shy people, I won't go there today) In any case, the "shy" little kid, only a seventh grader, went to the regular old middle-school after being in a so called "advanced program". As you might expect, the kid who spent too much time in his head wasn't particularly popular, and that's probably for the best, because this caused him to get sick of it and go back to the "advanced" middle-school in eighth grade. This is where many people were just like him, spending just the right amount of time in their heads, as he realized that thinking was very much an undervalued quality in most seventh graders. These people were awesome, and soon became great friends, or at least acquaintances. They played Super Smash Bros. together, survived our English teachers, and became friends on Facebook. 

Of course, the little boy is me, and at this point you're asking "What's so important about Facebook?". Well, while all these people were awesome and good friends, only a few remained as friends. No, not Facebook friends, real friends. (There is a difference, and if you don't think so, I am very, very sorry) The others moved on, to other high-schools mostly.

I moved on too, as most people would advise, and all was wonderful, until Facebook butted in. It won't let me forget these people.

That girl I thought was cute, but never gave me the time of day?
She's posting about Lord of the Rings, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is in general more awesome.

That guy who destroyed my gameplay as Ice Climbers with freaking Olimar?
He's still a gamer, still loves math, and has shown his true colors.

The guy everyone used to make fun of?
He's in college developing his talents in theatre production and standing up for himself.

The girl who I thought was just an athlete?
Enjoys the same music as I do.

That girl who laughed too much in theatre class, but you thought was untouchable?
She's in my same major, laughs at your jokes, is a nerdfighter and is awesome as well.

The list goes on. I miss these people terribly. If I didn't go to middle school with you, don't despair, I think you're awesome too. But there's a strange pattern of awesomeness coming from that school, and I wish I had held on to more of those friendships, because those people are extraordinary. If it weren't for Facebook, I wouldn't have to worry about all the feelings of "you need to go talk to this person, they're awesome". I could just go on my merry way and find people that live near me and are perhaps equally fantastic. I want to reunite with these people, but nobody does middle school reunions. Plus there's everyone telling me to just make new friends, and my own feelings of inferiority.(compared to these people at least). All this drama, just cause of one social media site.  Go jump in a lake, Facebook.