I NO LONGER EXIST, AT LEAST WHERE IT COUNTS, ON FACEBOOK

CHRIST IN WINTER: Reflections on Faith & Life for the Years of Winter

“Pride goes before a fall.” [Proverbs 16:18]

I have been rather proud, self-righteously so, that although I am old, I do not get into trouble, because I do nothing that can get me into trouble, because I do nothing. I do not fall for the scams other old people do or get into problems on the computer/internet because I respond to no queries, do no business. I go to brick and mortar stores and pay cash. I don’t answer the telephone. I am immune. Except…

I am proud that I was an Oakland City Acorn. That was our team name in Oakland City HS, since Oakland City College had already taken Oaks, which sounds much mightier than Acorns. But in the early 1960s, OCHS was merged with Francisco and Mackey and Somerville and Buckskin and Hosmer to form a “directional school,” East Gibson. Naturally, all the former team names were out and a new, neutral name had to be assumed. Acorns and Owls and Aces became Trojans.

I thought it would be nice if the many dozens of folks who were still Acorns had a page on Facebook, to share Acorn memories. So I started one. Unbeknownst to me, that made me the administrator.

Recently various non-Acorns have used the page to try to sell products, and to scam Acorns into non-Acorn like activities. Real Acorns complained and said the page administrator should do something about it. I didn’t know how, and I don’t have many more years to live anyway, so I though a new administrator would be a good solution. Lowell Tyring graciously agreed.

So I went to the Acorns page and changed the administrator to Lowell. Or so I thought. Actually, I just changed my name to Lowell Tyring. Facebook understood that to be total, so now my own FB page says that Lowell Tyring not only went to OCHS, but is married to Helen Karr and was a poor preacher for 50 years. Poor Lowell!

Jesus said that we should “let your yes be yes and your no be no.” [Mt 5:37] Or, KISS [Keep It Simple, Stupid.]

I am old. I know my limitations. That’s why I don’t do anything. I know that when I do stuff, unintended consequences follow. The problem is that, being old, I am forgetful, so I also forget that I know my limitations and go ahead and assume I know how to do stuff when I don’t.

It’s a bit awkward. I don’t do FB hardly at all anymore, and I am a bit uppity toward people who “waste their time” that way. But really I’m just trying to stay out of trouble. Either way, I have made trouble for Lowell. They’re already putting his name on my tomb stone.

John Robert McFarland

I have now deleted my FB account. That ought to keep me out of trouble. Right?