The life laid out before me to live...

Dear friends, readers, and any rando who somehow ended up on my blog and decided to read this,

As of tomorrow afternoon (Sept 23, 2010), I shall have deactivated my Facebook account indefinitely. I have my reasons, some of which I shall share, and some of which I shall keep for myself if only for the moment.

I've come to see my Facebook addiction as a sort of voyeurism, a gratification at watching other people's lives and seeing their updates, pictures, links, etc.

Among other things, I've realized that in the amount of time I spend trolling Facebook looking for updates, refreshing my page, playing games with no real world reward, I could be spending doing any number of tasks that would better my own life and allow me to actually LIVE rather than just survive.

A year ago, I was living outside Pagosa Springs in a small community of like minded individuals who had gathered for the express purpose of learning and living, thus learning how to live.

I long for that feeling again, that desire and drive to dig down deep into the same hole in order to discover the truth of life. And Facebook has become a shackle around my neck keeping me from pressing on into the life which God has laid out before me.

So, I've made the decision to deactivate my Facebook account indefinitely. The only definite is that I shall read 5 books between now and the next time I log in: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Augustine's Confessions, and 2 other players yet to be named. I'm contemplating Heart of Darkness as one of the two, but have yet to settle.

Another thing I shall be doing daily between now and the next time I log into Facebook is working out, beating my body into submission so that I may run the race set out before me, literally. Two of my goals in life are to finish a marathon and to finish an IronMan Triathlon. In order to do that, I must focus myself now so that when I start training purposefully for those races, I will be starting from a solid base rather than from nothing.

I plan to tailor the P90x workouts to my goals: strength, endurance, and flexibility. I'm not looking for muscle mass, but strength. I am a rock climber, and climbers need to be small but incredibly strong and have incredible endurance and flexibility. In order to attain my goals, I am also going to get a membership at the YMCA near my office to begin swimming regularly, and I plan to get a membership at the indoor rock climbing gym near my office to begin working on my climbing strength. I will also eventually get a heavy bag and start a boxing workout.

...but wait, there's more! I'm going to start running at least 3 days a week. rain/shine/sleet/snow, I will go running.

Third, and possibly the most influential, I'm questioned myself on the subject of friendship of late, and I find it necessary to revert to more arcane methods of correspondence and fellowship in my daily routine. In essence, I shall be writing letters to some, making phone calls to others, and making an effort to spend time face-to-face with those I am able. It is my true and honest belief that since the advent of online social networking, true friendships have become archaic and acquaintance has taken its place. I intend to decipher what a friend truly is in the coming months, and I intend to use what I learn to become a friend to any who will return the honor.


Some of you who are reading this are seriously wondering what has gotten into me - this doesn't sound like the Michael Slavish that you know and love (or love to hate). I assure you that this is entirely of my own accord and was all my idea (no one's gotten into my head and planted anything there...as least no one that I'm aware of).

I have too much going on in my life to just survive.

If I sit back and let life happen to me, I will regret this moment for the rest of my life, of that I am sure. Anyone who knows me well knows that I do my very best to regret NOTHING. I have a horrible memory, which is a gift and a curse. Perhaps it's because certain events in my life have made me somewhat callous in some respects, but I believe that one of my few good qualities is that I try to see the good in people, give them the benefit of the doubt...even when it seems apparent that a wound was intentional.


Here's where my experiment in separation from the social norm/social network become sticky. Depending on how I enjoy being without Facebook,I reserve the right to delete my account completely once I log back in. I will give everyone at least a week's notice before then so that I can get your address/phone number if we'd like to stay in contact that way. So, it is with great hope in the future that I bid thee farewell.

"Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?"

-Ceteris Paribus (All Things Being Equal)