Building your life from social media

facebooklogomirror

Imagine having a life-altering illness (tubercular meningitis) that puts you in the hospital for a week and when you're released, you no longer have your memories; you don't recognize your friends, and you can't grasp the structure of relationships. Such is the story of Mayank Sharma, of New Deli, India who lost 27 years of memories in a single week.

Fortunately, Mayank had a Facebook account and he started to piece his life back together by asking those under the "People You May Know" column, "Do you know me?"

See more at www.facebookstories.com. In 2010, Mayank Sharma of New Delhi, India contracted tubercular meningitis, a serious inflammation of the central nervous system. After a week in the hospital, he emerged without any memory of ever getting sick-or of the first twenty-seven years of his life.

Check out his fascinating story here in this short video:

People You May Know from Facebook Stories on Vimeo.

As much as I blame Facebook for sucking so much of my attention (as if I'm not responsible for my actions!!), there is an underlying impact on my psyche of being connected with long-time friends.

I like knowing that my childhood friends who remember me as a ten-toed brunette are still around.

It's comforting to see college friends STILL looking hip, fun, and sporting Bearwear.

From former work colleagues, to neighbors, to distant family, and everyone in between, I'd like to think that if I had tubercular meningitis, I'd be able to create a trail of stories leading me back to my past. Sure, there would be gaps and holes, but those already exist!

The more important piece of Mayank's story is how people remember him as being humble, kind, and thoughtful. He is returning to people, and they are telling him that his story is worth re-telling.

A life well-lived is always worth revisiting. Mayank reminds me to make sure my story makes a difference in the lives of others.