Twitter Retreat, Part 2

There's an important aspect of stopping one activity or starting another that should be considered: If it's an escape from something, that something will continue to haunt you. You believe things are different, but you'll see this reflection again---like turning away from one funhouse mirror and pointing yourself toward another. This is the karmic cycle.

With practice, in an environment such as Twitter it is possible to remove the attachment to form within communications. It's enough to consider, for example, that a sexy female avatar photo and accompanying language could be the proverbial old perverted guy behind the keyboard to give a fellow pause. For the people who've come to play within such a fantasy, enjoy---as a social tool, it's a stage for any actor and it's valuable in so many ways. As a Zen practice, maintaining the clarity to see that things are not necessarily as they seem, but are quite possibly what you want to see or expect to see given the appearances instead is key---seeing your own mind at work responding.

After all, you are shown pictures and words---not real people, right?

So what happens when you turn away from the screen and turn toward the people around you---family, friends, coworkers, strangers?

Do you really believe things have changed?