I wanted to address something that may really make some of you mad, but so be it. After spending a week with my brother, as he lay dying, I saw something that really made me mad.
It began with a message about some stupid game on face book, from a person that I had went to school. She posted about a game she was playing, inviting me to do something with it during-- one of my posts about my brother who was in the hospital dying. I thought-WHAT? are you that insensitive? Apparently she was, to post about her game and wanting me to participate in it-within MY post about my brother. This post showed up within MY post about my brother, so it was NOT sent on its own to my face book account (thus maybe then it would have been considered to be an accident) but WITH IN my post-so NO accident.
She eventually removed it, but not before I saw it, clearly offending to me-my brother was dying, My post was about my brother, and you post something about a stupid game in that post?
Some people feel that playing these games help to relax them. Really?
Some people who are on disability, will often tell me-it is hard to get out there and work, or go anywhere, so yes-we play these games.
Really?
Let me tell you this: before some of you out there yell at the computer screen, or send me a nasty note about my comments, think about this:
Relaxing for a few minutes on a game is one thing, but hours? that is being lazy to spend that much time on a game.
If you are handicap, even a little, or are on disability-that alone is NOT a death sentence!
Either way, answer this:
Why are you sitting back on your butt all day playing games on face book? Or on some game system on the computer or one of those new systems that are out there? Get busy and LIVE!
If you can even move a little, or can walk a little, then get out of the house and do something! Why am I talking about being disabled here? Well you have to understand how my brother was:
My brother was for the most part, in the end days of his life-unable to walk more than a few feet-so he did use his scooter a lot more. BUT he still lived! I would often see a neck brace around his neck to support his head up-but he still worked and lived. He shook with the parkinsons, but he still worked and lived. He could barley walk at all, but he still worked and lived. He could have been home -living off of disability, and playing games all day, watching tv all day-but no, he worked and LIVED!
He was still employed-he still was involved with his own business (he had been a business man for his whole life-owning several local businesses). He went to swap meets (auto/cars and antiques) monthly. He participated in them too, which meant he loaded the trailer and traveled to the swap meet, unloaded the trailer, sold stuff, then reloaded what did not sell and went home!
Yes he often was on a scooter, but he kept active.
The weekend he was first in the hospital, he was upset he was missing a swap meet. He told me-"Ireena, I had 8 tables, I lowered it to 2- I can still do this...the trailer is loaded..."
I thought, Frank-you need to rest. You need to heal...
I have many of these games on face book blocked, so usually I do not receive anything about them-but there are new games all the time, and people will invite me to play or send me stuff about them.
Let me tell all of you: I do not care about your fields or cows or chickens in the farmville game-let them all die, no rain for your crops and if I am lucky, the wolves will come and eat your animals, I do not care about your mafia wars-- so stop inviting me, keep the vampire games to yourself, and keep all other games to yourself-I am not interested in them at all. I 'do-not' care..
I would rather spend my free time with my family, with my children, my grand children-or go seeing my mother, spend time with my husband, or my church friends. Much more interesting than the stupid time stealing games on the internet.
Yes, if you are asking, I do play some games. But I do NOT bug people with them. AND I do not spend HOURS DAILY playing them! I might play sudoku a few times a week, but not daily and not to bug others. AND if I ever choose to play these games-I would only invite people ONCE then stop bugging them. No matter how the game is set up to allow you to won more, or make more money in the game or what ever-to invite others...I guess I would just be broke then...because I would NOT bug people.
I know that some of these games are to be played with others, but STOP inviting people who have already made it VERY clear that they do not want any part of the game. Since you invite people, you do NOT have to invite everyone. If you do, it shows your selfishness. If you say, well we have to invite you once because we do not know who all plays, after you do not hear back-it will be safe to assume that we (those of us who choose to spend our time wisely avoiding these games) do not wish to play them with you!
I know people on face book who are slightly handicap-or disabled, yet they appear to spend time playing games for hours and hours on face book...why? Why are you wasting so much time on this? Can you say your worse off than what I just described my brother was? If not, then you have NO excuse to spend so much time on games. You are wasting your life. (my opinion)
Even worse-people who are not handicap in anyway-doing the same thing? Do you all have nothing else you can do? Really?
And if you claim to be a believer in CHRIST-then your in sin to waste your time -so much time that is, at playing these games.
I am in no way saying never use them, no, I think that it is ok to spend some time on them, but the key word is SOMETIME-- NOT HOURS! And if you are not able to control the amount of time your on the game, then you are addicted to them and should avoid them just like a cigarette, or alcohol.
TO EVERYONE WHO PLAYS THESE GAMES:
Have you ever timed how long your on the game?
I challenge you-try that.
Record-keep track of when you begin, and end each game, all day, every day for one week or better yet, one month.
Remember, those are hours, days or even weeks that would be better spent doing other things in life. You can never get that time back. Never.
Dont tell me you have a hard time walking, or get tired, or this or that....you can still do some things, many things. Participate within your abilities...
Unless your a Quadraplegic, then you are able to participate in many things. (and by the way, I have worked in health care and have worked with quadraplegic's and have seen them more active than many lazy people I am currently talking about)
Here are a 100 things to do instead of hours on these games: try to do at least 5. Make a positive change in your life.
1. Live without the computer for one week
2. Live without the TV for one week
3. Go visit a friend
4. Go visit a family member
5. Go visit a shut in elderly person
6. Go to the nursing home and help push the people to the dining room for the meals
7. Go play checkers with an elderly gentleman in a nursing home
8. Go play chess with someone in the nursing home
9. Go call bingo for the people in the nursing home
10. Become a boy scout or girl scout leader
11. Teach a class about something you know to a scout troop
12. Become a 4-H leader
13. Teach a class at church
14. Babysit for a couple who never gets out because they are too busy, so watch their kids for them so they can get out and away!
15. Plant a garden
16. Weed a garden
17. Color in a color book with a 5 year old
18. Go to the public library and read to the toddlers
19. Go help / volunteer at your local animal shelter
20. Volunteer at the local grade school, grade papers
21. Volunteer at the local grade school-tutor some one
22. Go have coffee at the local restaurant and visit with an person who comes in every day and may not have any family...
23. Take a art class at the local college
24. Volunteer to address cards for your church (birthday cards -anniversary cards-etc) for the year
25. Watch a movie
26. Watch a documentary and learn something
27. Put together a family photo album
28. Cook a meal for someone who has been ill
29. Take your niece to a movie
30. Take your nephew to a movie
31. Take a child to a baseball game
32. Take a child bowling
33. Go visit your parents
34. Go visit a relative
35. Go visit your child
36. Go volunteer at the library
37. Go volunteer at the zoo
38. Get groceries for someone who can not get out of the house
39. Cook a meal for someone who has been ill
40. Clean the house for someone who has been ill
41. Offer to clean a homeless shelter
42. Offer to cook a meal (or two) at a homeless shelter
43. Take sandwiches to the homeless
44. Collect blankets and take them to the homeless
45. Give blood
46. Drive others to the red cross so they can give blood
47. Drive an elderly person to the grocery store
48. Go play cards at the nursing home with someone
49. Go volunteer at the hospital to take newspapers or magazines to the people in the hospital
50. Go volunteer to play games or read to a sick child that is in the hospital so the parent can take a break away for an hour...
51. If you play the piano, go play the piano at the hospital (often they have some in one area or another)
52. Volunteer at the local vets office
53. Volunteer for the city park and pick up trash
54. Go to the local park department and ask what you can do to help
55. Write a story for the newspaper
56. Write a story for a magazine that you enjoy
57. Write a book for your children
58. Visit someone
59. Take the neighbors dog for a walk
60. If you sew, volunteer to sew something for someone in need
61. Take a child fishing
62. Take your child fishing
63. Take your grandchild fishing
64. Take your mother or father fishing
65. Teach someone to knit
66. Teach someone to sew
67. Teach someone to crochet
68. Make some toy animals for the police department
69. Make some toy animals for the fire department
70. Make some small baby blankets for the hospital (for babies who do not make it...a special gift for the family)
71. Make some baby hats for the same reason in #70
72. Keep the bird feeders filled for someone who is worse off in your neighborhood
73. Keep the walk shoveled for someone worse off in your neighborhood
74. Cook a meal for a young family once a week
75. Learn to play the piano
76. Learn to play the drums
77. Start exercising-a walk at least
78. Make a special craft for everyone at a nursing home (just something simple---)
79. Make a dozen cookies for the neighbor who you really dont like much-be nice for a change
80. Make a cookbook in your hand writing for your children of all of your special recipes.
AND IF YOU CLAIM TO BE A BELIEVER:
81. Do an intense study on the Torah
82. Do an intense study on the LORDS feasts
83. Start a prayer ministry
84. Do a detailed study of being lazy
85. Do a detailed study of being wasteful (even time can be wasted)
86. Do a detailed study of being disobedient
87. Go hold a church service for an elderly shut in
88. send out a card to everyone in your church
89. Go minister to someone in jail
90. Go minister to a nursing home
91. Go minister to a home school group
92. Volunteer to clean someones home or even a room
93. Share your testimony at church
94. Begin a bible study for someone in a nursing home
95. Volunteer at church to make the coffee before services
96. Read the bible in full in one week
97. Read and study the bible daily
99. Learn a new song to worship GOD with
100. Spend 1/2 to 1 hour in prayer each day
