I know...I know...the term is clearly "passive aggressive". However, I believe that at the heart of this social-interaction stigma is the very title of this post. Namely, Zombies: Aggressive Passives.
The reason I take such issue with "passive aggressive" people is that they attempt to reap the benefits of aggressive go-getters without the ability to properly exercise their projected passion to reach the same goal. In other words...they claim they want to be a champion boxer, yet they only swing outside of the ring when their "opponent" isn't looking. I am currently struggling with how I am supposed to deal with people, that would seemingly irritate Jesus. (Yes Jesus got irritated...it's in there). This behavior is very similar to zombies in movies who seem to relentlessly pursue the people they chase, without any passion, personal conviction, nor critical thinking. They seem aggressive, yet in their core they are weak...they simply feed from people.
As both a self-designated and socially-designated aggressive individual I have a personal disdain towards people that seemingly act "gangster" in moments where they would never seemingly have to back it up. For example, with the new explosion of social media over the past decade, it is commonplace for people to lash out at others via technology when the person lives down the street, attends the same school, is three cubicles over in the office, and/ or attends the same church. Perhaps this technology is enabling people to become less and less personable under the guise that they are connected to the whole world. The worst part is that people have the nerve to call it social media, when in reality it is training the next generation to be faux socialites, by building Internet confidence and utter face-to-face passivity.
Connected to this issue is people who seem to think they actually know someone because they follow them on twitter, are befriended by them on facebook, and have generously contributed to one's youtube views on their channel. At best you know whatever the person promotes, markets, or projects themselves to be via online venues, and most likely have simply excited one's "itch" for attention as they seek validation from strangers who probably simply like their profile pick.
The scary aspect to me is that this has crept into the church. It's usually the one's who say that it is a great forum for "discipleship" that are hollerin' at girls/ guys, catching up to ex's, and inevitably socializing with people that had naturally fallen out of their lives (and usually fallen out for good reason). Tye Tribbett, in a sermon amidst one of his concerts, gave a riveting analogy concerning 'doors'. He referenced the internet and tv channels. The analogy states that "not only do you have access to 300 channels,...but 300 channels have access to you. Not only do you have access to the world...wide...web, but the world...wide...web has access to you". Now by no means am I indicting facebook nor social media, for I am utilizing several venues as we speak...read...whatever (see my point)! There is no real human to human interaction, and thus why so many disagreements and hurt feelings occur via text, email, and tweets. Even this blog pails in comparison to a real life-on-life conversation with me.
My point is that not only are you broadcasting yourself, but you are also making yourself available to any and everyone who has a computer or smartphone. Likewise, there are a seldom few amongst the millions (probably billions)who aren't serving some subconcious, insecure need for the attention they never got in high school, college, childhood etc. Likewise on the other side of the spectrum are the people who were popular, shallowly (because I believe there is such a thing as noble popularity), who simply continue to feed off of the empty submission of followers who have aimlessly devoted themselves to their life and calling, while completely and blindly overlooking their own life-mission. This too, sadly has happened in churches. I haven't quite figured this out yet...or rather I have figured it out and my findings are so grotesque that I wish they were not true.
In closing, my point is that social media has enabled people to create a "personality" without going through the hard work of self-examination, prayer, meditation, tough experiences, and suffering...which will inevitably make you find Jesus and begin to bear true confidence which comes in knowing you are validated by God, and have a unique purpose that only you can fulfill...which is much more than being some human's blind, hollow-follower. We aren't even encouraged to follow Jesus blindly, nor 'hollowly'. However, we are encouraged to count the cost, and choose to love with Him with ALL our heart, MIND, soul, and strength. Yet it seems we are being DUMBED down by this false sense of discipleship (twitter...follow me), and it is producing a zombie-like people with such a false confidence that they are challenging the one's who are actually alive and fully conscious. If this made you mad...then, sadly, you are one of the zombies! Which brings me back to my first point...isn't it funny that zombies in movies are so aggressive in death, because they have lost their soul and thus have nothing to lose, and when they challenge the living there are only a select few who are brave enough to fight them off. The reason zombies are so scary is that they are the living dead; seemingly fully functioning people yet they move without a mind.
Perhaps the scariest notion is not that they are dead and yet move, but rather they are mindless creatures who still seem to act with a motivation...but where does this motivation come from?
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