It seems like a good concept. Get seen faster and to a larger population of humans and you will be "guaranteed" more new patients. Instead of paying 1000.00 for an ad in the local paper, just go internet and you can reach thousands. Getting plugged into someone else's database of contacts will insure a higher percentage of "clicks" on your profile/ad which translates to higher recognition/awareness of your name. But no one spoke of the side effects. Even in the pharmacy now, there are so many listed side effects to medicines you pick up that they print it on a sheet and ask you to read, understand what you read and sign that you were informed.....all in efforts to get you in and out fast with your "brand new bottle of prescription medicine". This thirst for speed, volume, public recognition.....to reach the masses, be in the masses, be the best of the mass and make a lot of money. No one tells you that you have to update your profiles, regularly observe how many people clicked on you, how long they stayed on your link, if they came back, if there was a phone call generated from the click, if they scheduled for a visit, how to change the profile so it takes advantage of the trending for that week, what people are trending about for the month, who else is generating high volume following (likes). Then when you get status....you wonder what happened the next time you do the same thing and don't have the same reaction. Did I do something wrong? Why aren't people following? Am I not valuable anymore? Who else is getting my followers? What do people think of me now that I am a failure? What crazy "hollywood" stunt should I do to get attention back-it seems to work on cable TV. Like Al Pacino in the Godfather: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in". If you buy into the fervor of virtual presence, you should first be grounded in what your dharma is. (Dharma comes from Sanskrit and stands for your purpose in life) If you are unsure of your original intention before the journey, the challenges you will face on the journey will shape and manipulate the way you live your life. Could be a good thing, could also turn out terribly wrong with a resultant twisted, altered package of what formerly was a compassionate idea. Growing up in mainstream America, we are taught how to succeed, that only the best will make it to success and that anything other than blood, sweat and tears will result in a lifetime of suffering and poverty. So we become very good at getting to the top by stepping on others that don't deserve your spot. I remember in Catholic school we are all part of God's creation and should love one another like we would want to be loved. This was taught to me by a tall, shadowy lady in a nun outfit that used to carry a ruler with the threat of a swift whip from the wooden instrument end onto knuckles if you didn't recite the phrases. The only time I was taught to calm the mind was in sports. When it was my time to belt test in front of the class for martial arts, or when getting ready for the state finals in a sprint and performing the ritualistic steps to slow down time and wait for the gun to go off and unleash the fury of concentrated human speed. So when do most people learn the trade of meditation and grounding.......usually at the lowest point of life. Some people don't touch on spiritual access until the last breath, some get it and move onto a higher way of living (seemingly igniting life into everyone they meet) and some are lucky to learn from parents/friends.
This virtual chat room with the rest of human kind is a great thing but if you have no substance or only have an intention of joining in because everyone else is doing it, you are just postponing the inevitable. You will find yourself with no time to relax, no true friends to share adventures with, withdrawn from nature, caught up with always having to check for new responses and update status. Sooner or later, you will ask yourself the question of why do I do this, it there something better, who am I and what is my purpose. May as well start now before you are too deeply infected by the man-made "mind virus" of virtual living.
