Why live audio lives?

WHEN you stroll on the streets of social media, especially the toxic terrain of twitter, the glamorous walls of Instagram or the everything-goes medium of Facebook, it will be obvious that so many things we see around us, especially on social media, is make-belief and fake. Is it the beautiful homes which most often than not are hotels, beautifully made up faces with designer attires and accessories, surprise gifts from nonexistent fans, high-end parties and latest cars or foreign trips?.

All these make people look at their lives and feel like failures, especially when those posting such are people they consider their peers. More often than not, some have fallen into depression because they think while every other person is making it, they are isolated in the realm of failure. They get carried away and forget to appreciate how far they have come and be contented with what they have.

Some start aspiring and competing with people that do not even know they exist just because of what they see on the gram. They filter their pictures to the extent that dark-skinned girls look like mulattos. All you see is fake; stop running after what is not missing just to keep up with peers Some are living borrowed lives; they borrow clothes for photoshoots, take pictures with other peoples’ cars.

Someone that actually has an awesome life doesn’t need to come on social media to announce it. Those kinds of announcements are cover-ups for lives that may be worse than that of those envying them. And the truth is, a great percentage of people that live audio lives and run competition with others are women.

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They engage in cat fights with fellow women over inane things rather than engage in productive ventures just because they want to trend or be known. Fake lives do not put food on the table, it doesn’t credit bank accounts, yet, some people embrace it with its heavy and unnecessary burden.

The period wasted trying to look happy, contented and living high could be focused on actually achieving useful things. Today, almost everything is fake including friendship among women. Instead of working towards having a true good and contented life, we are striving for things that border on mediocrity and running senseless cat race, indulging in things that add no value to our lives, nor have a meaningful impact on our future.

We pretend we are made and above everyone with fat bank accounts, jobs to die for with salary in six figures, thriving online businesses that only exist in our minds and beautiful marriages with men that can be nothing short of angels; we fake it so much to the extent we believe it. We want to be big so desperately that we forget we are not, and instead of acting and working on being great, we live a deceptive life that adds no value.

No matter how you fake it, the likelihood of making it is slim because productive hours are wasted on frivolities. By then, time fakers realise that they are rolling on a point with no forward movement. It is usually too late; others have accomplished much, and by then most of them have become laughing stock from embarrassing themselves with their audio lives.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE