Fake and Real

Fake and Real

Build a real
treehouse.

Sometimes it's easiest to define a term by comparing it to it's opposite.  In that vein, "fake" might be a corollary to "genuine, authentic, actual, tangible, or real." It used to be that most everything, in a so-called "simpler" time was inherently more "genuine" or real. It used to be that if you wanted a new table, it was made by a real person, with real wood, and provided real meal time interactions. Similarly, if you wanted to correspond with someone else, you had a real, face-to-face conversation, in person or wrote a physical, tangible, "real" letter. Now, we buy particle board from a big box story factory and zap IMs, text messages, emails as a series of electron bits through a "web" that we can't "really" see, touch, taste, feel, etc. 

Building real things
builds real skills.

When it came to our jobs...our ancestors did "real" things.  They moved this physical thing from here to there...really.  They took these real raw materials and turned them into a real building.  Now so many jobs are sort of "made up" where we doddle between meetings, sending emails, and filling out spreadsheets.  Even in our food, largely, gone are the days of "real" ingredients that you planted a seed, then ate a vegetable.  Now, "thanks" to modern convenience society, most of our food is made up of "fake" engineered ingredients. Try to read the back of most freezer bags at the grocery store. 

Really practice.

For millennia, we've had real truth.  Hard and fast belief in a higher power.  Communities and countries built on Biblical truth.  Societies built on then 10 commandments and a moral compass.  It's heartbreaking to see that we're slipping toward a series of fake "embrace your truth" as opposed to real truth.  We've got an opportunity to be the light in our circles.  We can raise our families and conduct our lives in a way that brings us...and consequently others around us...closer to the truth...not convenient fakes.  

Go see real
places.

Historically, in terms of relationship and companionship, it was the "real" deal or nothing at all. Today, largely through technology, we can have "fake" friends - we "like" a post online but wouldn't think to ask or offer to bring a meal in a time of need. We cultivate a "fake" version of our best selves instead of having a real community where we struggle through the actual struggles of modern life. Our manicured, cultivated, curated versions of ourselves with airbrushes and social media are not us...and they don't meet our real needs. 

Do real
things.

In terms of finance, there are plenty of articles and information out there about "fake rich" vs "real rich."  To unpack it, the hallmarks of "fake rich" are purchasing the things that you can't actually afford...but can maybe hold together the payments.  It becomes, as Dave Ramsey says, “We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like.”  Instead of a fake, debt-propped-up lifestyle...real rich is a lack of payments, a lack of stress, and a financial "peace" that helps you create options that facilitate     the life you want to live...not a rat race chasing an uncatchable "more."  

There are real big
amounts of food 
coloring.

In today's day and age, adventure is incredibly accessible...and yet, for many of us, rarely chosen.  With the modern conveniences and affordability in travel (hotels, rental cars, RVs, airplanes, you name it), you can have real adventure easier than probably any time in history.  The problem, in part, it seems is that we're looking for the "picture" of adventure...the sunset after the hike that looks good on the socials...rarely do we sit and reflect on that same sunset as a real inspiration of beauty.  Sit and soak in the moment, building a real memory...not just taking the snazzy picture of a memory.  

Fake things 
can look real. 

With hookup culture and pornography, you can get the "fake" thing...without the real, God-created things in those parts of our life.  The more we blend these fake/real worlds, the worse it is for not only us...but for humanity and the future. The more we distance ourselves from the "real" for the fake, the closer we get to a robotic, humanoid with a pulse existence.  Hollowness and loneliness are the direct byproducts of this mad rush toward artificiality.  For the history of humans, in order to build relationships, you had to put in real work, make real sacrifices, do the real things...to be successful. Today, we've cheapened and diluted so much of life that it's watered down.

Go see the real thing...
not the movie version.

Bots and AI only make this worse.  There is no shortage of completely fake...not just emotionally fake...but never existed anywhere before in any form sort of fake.  As we raise up our children in this new day and age, it's critical that we educate our children to the dangers and temptations of these new threats...while providing them a sound foundation rooted in real love and respect.  As we're raising up our children, in an era where they're "digitally native," that means we need to keep up on the understanding of the technology and help our children responsibly leverage the benefits of the new tech.  

Really rappel 
off the roof.

The good news is that there is still "real" stuff out there...a lot of it out in nature.  This could be the walk around your block, the city park, state park, national park, national forest, or any other setting where you're screen free...and under the sun or stars.  Good news is that it's also a bit of a paradigm or attitude.  We've seen people at some spectacular places (e.g. Yellowstone) and watching the sites through their phone camera lens.  Don't go out of your way to get the facsimile or copy...when you can get the real thing.  Similarly, when you can get a real conversation, face-to-face, emotion and body language...instead of the IM, text, email, or other method.  Real bonds...real life is one conversation, one commitment, one cultivation at a time.  Choose real.    

With you in the arena, from ours to yours...Happy Trails!

Call to Action: 

• Pick our a few "real" things that have been missing from your life...seek them out...embrace them...celebrate them.  
• 1 - ___________________ 
• 2 - ___________________
• 3 - ___________________
• Discussion: Consider what you/your family could/would/should (level of commitment) and start/stop/sustain (action) in terms of moving away from fake and closer to real.  

Further Reading, Motivation, and References:

- "Everything you can imagine is real."  Pablo Picasso