Welcome To The Wonderful World Of Evites or "How My Generation Seems To Have Lost The Ability To Respect Anyone But Themselves"

I am ashamed to say that I belong to a generation of completely self-absorbed slackers. It used to be that when an event was going to take place, the host would send out invitations in the mail. Not email. Via the postman (remember him?). When one received said invitation, one was obliged to respond "si vous plait" (didn't even know that's what RSVP stood for, did you?), yes or no. "Maybe" was not an option. If one was not completely sure that they could attend the event, they would inform the host of the possible conflict.

Now, I welcome you to today's world of online invitations. Response optional. If you're unsure you want to attend you can choose maybe. Maybe is a magical option that allows the invitee to make absolutely no commitment whatsoever! Maybe enables you to say you're not sure that you'll be attending the event because you're waiting to see if you will be offered a more enticing option for that date. And do not try to deny that you've done that; I've actually heard some admit it.

But wait, the hosts are not excluded from my soapbox. Oh, no! They, too, are enabled and allowed to be completely slovenly and tacky. Why go to the enormous effort of tracking down all of those addresses? Why add the stress of using a pen and stamps? Why exert yourself when you're already going to all the trouble of allowing people into your home? I was appalled, thoroughly and absolutely taken aback, this year when I received a wedding invitation via Facebook! And this, mind you, was after I received an electronic invitation to help the bride-to-be make the physical invitations! What on earth have we come to? I understand that wedding invitations can be expensive - don't think that I'm oblivious. Also do not think I'm disapproving of the request that friends help make the invitations; it's a large undertaking, I know. I am stunned that someone would actually use something as cheap and impersonal as an electronic invitation for one of the biggest days of their lives, and disgusted that people actually responded with a "maybe"!

I am astonished by the absolute lack of respect for others. Are my peers really so completely selfish, so totally absorbed in their own lives that they cannot make a commitment and hold to it for someone else? Yes, I occasionally use electronic invitations. I use Facebook and Evites to try to gather friends together for events. But it saddens me to know that I cannot, nor can anyone else, rely upon these at all - because the majority of the people who will receive them will not give what should be the common courtesy of a serious commitment. And do not think that this issue stops with Evites. This absence of respect shows itself in the failed commitments to call, falling through on appointments (be they lunch dates with a friend or prioritizing everything before time for our Creator - that means that He deliberately made you with the purpose of glorifying Him, by the way), and so much more. So. Here are the options we have: We either grow the heck up and act like the adults we claim to be or we stop relying at all upon electronic invites. Personally, I hope to see more people giving an actual commitment and showing the lost art of respect for the person going to the effort of hosting an event. I hope to stop seeing so many God-awful Evites. I hope you know that if you ever send me an invitation via anything but "snail" mail for a graduation, baby shower or wedding that I will not be there. I hope that this might be at least a small step towards stepping outside of ourselves and realizing that there is more to this world than just us.