cara

facebook connections do mean something. they are a shortcut around actually reaching out to check on people you know. they are a way to satiate the guilty feelings related to betrayal- as long as you can pop in and take a peek at someone’s facebook profile (a social environment that is somehow designed to cause people to paint a more rosy picture of their lives than might actually be the truth) and get a sense that they’re “ok”, then you are relieved of the responsibility for whatever pain you may have caused that person. when we are wronged or hurt or betrayed, those feelings must be experienced and dealt with and if there is atonement that can be enacted, then that atonement needs to happen in a real, human way. eliminating the cheap “i need to be able to look at your facebook profile so i’ll feel better” way of dealing with betrayal allows for both parties to either seek out real, at least somewhat genuine human interaction to resolve the situation or to completely block the entire experience out and move on. so no- there’s no reason for me or any of my actual friends to maintain a facebook connection with my ex girlfriend- in fact it is counterproductive to allow the “relationship” to continue. she lives in another city- she has a completely unrelated and likely completely incompatible group of friends, so- block. poof. bye bye. easy peasy.