I’m back. In an increasingly complex world, I’ve decided that my place in “social media” should be a direct, and honest reflection of who I am and what my values are. You can sort that all out by reading between the lines of my stories.

I fell away from blogging because the pressures of daily life, in particular of elder care, injuries and of the daily onslaught of prevarication from the press, drove me to endless dithering. In its place, I’m ashamed to say, I adopted a Facebook approach. I coasted through the drivel to find compatriots who seemed as disenfranchized as I felt…and bounced in the echo chamber. Finally, overwhelmed by the polarization, I started posting art. Posting beauty seemed like a balm for the ages and I attracted a group of like-minded folk who saw some measure of salvation in something as basic as a daily dose of beauty. But, in the end, it’s not enough.

I cannot ignore, or abide, the fact that my sweet backwater of beauty ultimately was lining the pockets of the very folk undermining democracy and monetizing the demise of our environment, of our very planet. I have to step away from the dopamine delivery system—the addiction of social media. To be true to my values, I have to strike out on my own, to reach out and create community, to be subversive by being authenic. So, I’m back.

I am retreating from those platforms that are toadying to power. The anticipatory capitulation to the dark side, the vast amounts of untraceable money funneled to curry favor, all funded by our own consumer dollars (or by the sale of our data), was making me sick at heart. No more. I’m finding new outlets for news and information. I’m abandoning the soul-sucking click bait world. No amount of daily beauty can undo the damage of the robber barons of tech.

I note that during this sojourn into social media addiction, my writing came to a halt. Indeed, other than gardening or building (because Rick and I are always building), my creative energies dried up completely. It is my hope that returning to a more authentic avenue of engagement, that will come back. In fact, since I made the decision (round about the time the tech bros all donated to the coronation), I’ve returned to my long neglected novel. Who knows where this will lead?

If you’ve been with me from before, or if you’ve joined me because of my invitation on the way out the door of Facebook, I hope you’ll see this as a way to participate, comment, criticize or applaud the taking back our time for something more genuine than the latest meme. There are certainly parts I’ll miss. But connecting with real people and sharing viewpoints outside of the silos, is something I’m looking forward to. It’s a little like coming home.

(To get a “comment” prompt, click the blog title and scroll to the bottom.)