“Do you like me?” Can you imagine having the courage to walk around asking this question to everyone you meet? What about the people closest to you? What a terrifying thing to ask. And yet so many people and businesses ask this very question through their social media feeds and marketing campaigns every day as a result of how Facebook has influenced our world. And that makes sentences like these possible:
- “Can you 'like' me?”
- “Like us!”
- "We’ve got 1,000 likes!”
- “Can I trade in my ‘likes’ for ‘followers?’”
- “How many likes does it take to get to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Facebook page?”
So, in the spirit of awareness (because that's part of what we do at Rewire), I want to point out that "liking someone" is a simple act of kindness that can make a big difference to the receiver of your like. I think it’s fine to want your company or movement to be "liked," but, if I might remix a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, I want to propose that each of us seek first to like rather than be liked.* For the record, there are a couple of organizations that I am "liking" these days. I like the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (more on this one later); I like Sol Sports in New Mexico, and I like Productive Learning and Leisure in Orange County, CA. Three radically different organizations doing some really cool things to make the world a better place. I hope you go check them out.
So what do you "like?" And what can your simple "like" click do for someone today? Certainly, we can’t spend all our time announcing all the things we like, but if something grabs your attention, go ahead and "like” it. That simple act can make a difference to people and organizations that are doing some great things (And don't forget that your small act of kindness does something to change you, too).
Have a great weekend. Go like!
* I don't think St. Francis will mind my remixing if only because, while this poignant and beautiful prayer is widely attributed to him, he didn't actually write it. From the Franciscan Archives website
