There is an ongoing challenge on social media; it’s called the Crate Challenge. Millions have jumped on the trend and for those actively participating, many have been permanently injured in their spine, neck, limbs, and some have even died. All for what?
Likes and Shares!
And this begins to drive home the point I was making in the last installment. People are literally willing to risk losing their lives just so they can gain some extra views on their social handles, get some likes, and perhaps trend for a few days.
Likes and Shares have become the new gold, isn’t it? Marketing Campaigns have shifted from traditional TV ads to IG, YouTube, and Twitter Influencer Pages.
Social Media is ultimately the Medium where Performance meets Opinions. The higher the performance, the more and the better the opinions and following. That following can then be leveraged for profits.
Remember the subtle framework the devil deploys?
Your Performance + Other People’s Opinions = Your Self Worth
And this is why many people suffer from chronic depression. It is because the variables that combine to give them their feeling of value and worth are indeed extremely variable and volatile.
I’ll give two scenarios and then share the Almighty Formula for Emotional Stability.
Back to the Variables; Your Performance + Other People’s Opinions.
The variableness of these two factors causes two types of depression; Externally Induced or Internally Induced.
When a man is trying to outperform himself but doesn’t get the recognition of the people he so desperately craves, he is under an Externally Induced Pressure to perform to their standard. When he increasingly falls short, then he is trapped in a vicious cycle that is characterized by serious depression.
Also, when a man already gets the public to appraise him so well, and he becomes a Fan’s favourite without having to perform so highly (there are celebrities like that) but then struggles in his private life to live up to the perceived reputation he has, he will constantly see himself as an imposter who doesn’t deserve any of the accolades thrown his way. This is what leads some celebrities into depression, and some even become suicidal. They can’t seem to marry the two lives they live, both off and on stage… so they just quit both.
What I’m saying, in essence, is that even when you get your performance up to par, you can’t guarantee people’s opinions about it. And even if you get it for a season, you cannot always guarantee it will always be in your favour. In the same vein, even when everyone loves you, you can slip into the mire of self-doubt that ultimately affects your self-valuation simply because your performance doesn’t seem to measure up.
A downward change in any of these two variables is enough to cause a low Self Worth going by our equation. Now imagine a dip in both variables; it will cause a more than normal dip in Self Worth. And from the cycle I described last week, both variables follow themselves. That is, bad performance often leads to bad ratings. Bad ratings affect performance adversely and make it even worse, thereby destroying one’s Self Worth.
When you check the setup of this demonic framework, it is one designed to keep people small and victimized all their lives. So the seasons when you probably have a high performance and a high rating may not be more than a negligible fraction of your lifetime (because that season comes with the highest pressure to perform). Whereas your Self Worth cannot afford to be that unstable throughout your lifetime.
This is why we all need to plug into a more secure and stable framework that guarantees ever-increasing returns on our Self Worth.
It’s called the ImagoDei Relativity Theory.
This theory subjects the Value of an Individual to the Eternal Value of a Divine Being known as Christ. This equation has its variable component as the most constant factor in all of the Universe, thereby making the resultant Value just as constant.
The Worth, Weight & Glory of Christ = My Self Worth.
In this framework, I am not permitted to see myself through the lens of my performance or the opinions of others; I only see myself through the lens of a certain Constant; The Worth Weight and Glory of Christ, which is not to be added to any other variable.
Why is this so? Because that Worth, Weight, and Value of Christ was what was exchanged for the purchase of my life. That worth is encapsulated in The Blood of Jesus. His Blood was shed for me, so I must cease to see my worth from a carnal point of view. Instead, I ought to see my worth through the lens of what was exchanged for me. Once I believe in Christ’s sacrifice for me, He becomes my Performance and the Only Opinion that matters.
Now that Value that was paid for me is not subject to change or volatility in the market. The forces of demand and supply don’t affect it, the Twitter ban doesn’t impact negatively on it, the pixels on my camera cannot improve it, the weight gained during the lockdown cannot reduce it… My Performance can neither reduce nor increase it. More so, the opinions of men have absolutely no impact on it. It is literally the same Yesterday, Today, and Forever.
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. — Hebrews 13:8 KJV
Once I plug into this Superior Framework, it won’t matter if the women of Israel sing my praises on their IG handles. It won’t make me arrogant, neither would it matter if my enemies and foes come against me to eat up my flesh. But I won’t be perturbed either. The reason is: one thing have I desired and that I will passionately pursue, that I continue to behold the Face of Jesus because it is in His Light I see my Light; It is in His Worth I see my Worth; it is in His Value I see my Value.
My Friends, this is the path to Peace.
I hope this blessed your heart.
Till I come your way again… never give up the Equity of your Mental Health for fleeting Likes & Shares.
Have a productive week.
Dami Oguntunde
