BML

http://www.fmylife.com/

I guess that given most of the unintelligible drivel you can find in the public sector of the internet, it shouldn’t surprise me that a website like this exists. But, nonetheless, I find myself pretty discouraged by it.

When did we become so sad that we needed an entire website devoted to the most depressing, miserable, unfortunate, and even heartbreaking moments of our lives? Furthermore, given that the aforementioned moments are undesirable, why would we want to share them with others in such a way that they’re allowed to judge whether or not we were justified in saying “F my life!” or if we’re just whiners?

Yes, we all have bad moments, and a lot of us have pretty significant problems that we’d rather not laugh about. But wow, is that really all the basis we have with which to connect with each other anymore? Can you imagine if every conversation you had were only about drivers cutting you off, a waitress spilling hot coffee on your lap, or getting fired from a job for stealing food they were going to throw out anyway?

Personally, I’m quite tired of the negativity in the air as it is. The economy, the skeptics about our new president, tax season, winter being too cold, gas prices slowly rising again. It seems like so much of our media and daily conversation is comprised of nothing more than a finely-focused lens on depressing issues and just general complaining.

What if there was a website that did the opposite? How encouraging would it be to read about selfless, humble, honest, loving people improving the lives of those around them and asking nothing in return for it? Would you like to open your email each morning to read stories about how a stranger behind you at Starbucks paid for your drink when you forgot your money in the car? I know I sure would.

How about Bless My Life instead? http://bmylife.com/ It can work twofold as a way of saying “God, be my life,” and as a way to say, “Bless my life!” by focusing on the blessings you have (even though they may seem few) amidst all the things you’d rather not deal with.

Honestly, if someone out there is familiar enough with web page development and at all interested in pursuing something like this, I’d be first in line to help get this site started.

7 Comments:

  1. Anonymous said...
    I enjoy that it's "bmylife"...be my life. rawesome. :) I bless this idea!!
    WebGal said...
    I'm not a high-end language developer, but have html and design skills and web marketing skills. Would love to see this site exist and would put my skills toward it.
    Erin said...
    Contact me. erinmariecapps @ gmail.com (no spaces)
    Anonymous said...
    Wow Luke, how strange is this... I had this same idea a few weeks ago, B as in Bless My Life.. and I decided to try and tackle it! I have purchased BMyLife.com and I have started working on it! It's no where near done, but I did a Google search just now and I found your article and I am in shock that someone else had thought of this same idea! Feel free to check it out.. but like I said it is still being developed :)
    Anonymous said...
    this is awesome dude.. for real thank you for making something worthwhile
    Rita said...
    Sorry, I know this was posted a long time ago but I thought I might try to explain my very different view of FML.
    I think the idea of fmylife.com is not to spread negativity but rather to allow the world to see your problems and get wry amusement or even a chuckle out of the often ironic mishaps. It's not as immature as laughing when someone falls down, but it is a level of that. Sometimes the easiest way to feel better when something goes wrong is to laugh it off.
    Bmylife is a good idea to help those who are feeling very down feel better; to remind them that good things happen in the world... but fmylife is just as important. It helps to remind people that there are worse things in life, that what's happening to you is happening to others and many are having an even worse time of it. It's not as simple as saying "well maybe my wife cheated on me but at least i didnt cancel my health insurance only to discover I have cancer" but more like "maybe I cant afford a really nice wedding ring for my fiance but at least she didnt shake it out of her shoe and lose it outside in a tragic but comical accident resulting from a poorly planned proposal."
    It's sad but funny. And the best part is we arent chortling at something that offends because the afflicted are offering it up... asking the world to please, laugh at my problems so that I can try to laugh at them too!

    So yes, perhaps some of the moments displayed on FMLs pages are the "most depressing, miserable, unfortunate, and even heartbreaking" ones experienced worldwide, it seems to me that you misunderstand the connection that it gives us to each other. It's a way to turn around complaining, to make it into a numerous social commentary. A punchline. Bad stuff happens, to you and me and everyone else. Ha ha.

    As to the judgement side, the "you deserved it" which turns to "yeah! way to show 'em" and the "I agree, your life sucks" which becomes "it definitely does!" I think that's just another way to make the site interactive. Certainly most people dont even worry about that part, same with the comments section. A good FML user does not post idiotic or offensive responses; many actually post advice.. making FML into a sort of advice forum. I think it also helps people to learn from the mistakes of others, in many cases.
    But Im not going to lie, it's mainly about entertainment.
    Anonymous said...
    I think BML is set up to alienate people who don't trust God. When I looked at the first BLM, it actually made me feel bad. Life has made me cynical but not as much as some people out there. Why don't you make sections like on FML so all people regardless of beliefs can feel welcome?

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