I studied art at school. One of the things I learnt is that it's not so much the work of art that you appreciate, it's always the story behind it.
And such is life. Which brings me to Facebook.
Facebook is such an interesting phenomenon.
We think it offers a sneak peek into other people's lives. Trawling through people's photos we see them all dressed up at some fabulous bar; sipping cocktails in some exotic location; pictures of growing pregnant bellies and ultrasound photos; happy snaps of angelic little children.
But it's not reality.
Nobody captures the moments in life that truly define us. Nobody takes snaps mid argument with a partner when we are in tears. Nobody posts photos of themselves when they are feeling lonely or depressed. Nobody takes pictures at a funeral when they are grieving the loss of a loved one. Nobody uploads a video of their child throwing a tantrum in the supermarket.
The woman who posts her pregnancy pictures may have endured countless months of waiting for those two little pink lines to give her that much longed for "positive". The party girl all dressed up in designer outfits constantly attending soirées doesn't give away that she is 30 years old, still living with her parents, without a cent to her name in order to maintain that lifestyle. The stay at home mother uploading photos of her children playing in the garden would never let on that she is wondering what on earth happened to her life.
The fabulous holidays people go on? They have to work and save hard for those. How beautiful someone might look at a birthday party? They have spent an hour doing their hair and makeup to look that way. The girl with that perfectly toned body? She has trained at the gym everyday and lived on salads to get that hot body.
Nobody knows what it has really taken to get you to the point that has been displayed for all to see. The only people we are really fooling is ourselves.
I've said it before that Facebook only offers a highlight reel of what is truly taking place in someone's life.
There is always an exceptional amount of effort that goes into portraying what may seemingly be a a life that is envied. We are all slaves to the appearance of luxury. And it's all nonsense.
Facebook is a carefully controlled environment where you only allow people in on what you WANT them to see. And a lot of the time, it really is just an elaborate illusion.
One thing we must all remember is that we are all human and we all have our secret sorrows. So is the grass really greener? You tell me...