So far away, yet so close!
I was thinking the other day, and a topic popped into my head and I started to figure out what I thought about it. It had to do with long distance friendships, and friendships that start over the internet itself. I had heard people bring up the question of whether you can truly be friends with someone you meet in this manner, in comparison to people you meet in real life. I have always thought yes, because I form bonds that I would describe as friendship over the internet, friendships that I know are true.
How do I know this? Well, there might always be the fear that there is an element of bullshit involved when talking to someone on the internet, that they might not be what they say are, but I like to think I have enough of a bullshit meter to weed those folks out. If not, oh well, the majority of those I bestow the title of friend upon, wont turn out to be asshats. Besides, doesnt that make it more akin to real life in the long run? How many times in your life have you met new people, hung out with them, thought you knew them, and they they undertake an act of betrayal that you never saw coming? So yeah, internet and real life both have the possibilities of meeting someone that isnt what they seem, but on the flip side they also bring the possibility that the person is going to be someone both important and amazing. So why fear this new realm of friendship that can be yours just by embracing technology?
Dont. Thats the short and easy answer to that question. Technology moves life forward in good and bad ways, but opening the world up through communication will always be a good thing. There are so many people on this planet, so many people that share interests with us, why hold yourself back to those that are in your immediate area? Of course it easier for those that live in bigger areas, more highly populated areas, but for those like me, the ones that live in smaller areas, it can be harder to find those people that you share interests with. This is where technology is amazing. Facebook, Twitter, and many other websites out there have allowed people to find like minded ones, to know they arent the only one that has that opinion. not the only one that finds that other thing completely aggravating, and this is and always will be good.
Technology allows people to reach out to others, to find people they can talk to without feeling judged, sometimes this is due to the partial anonymity, but often times it is because of the knowledge that commonalities exist and allow you to discuss things in a way that you feel comfortable about. So again, why not embrace technology for all these good things that it can do?
I applied this to my life and that is how I started to form the opinion you are reading here. I looked back at the friendships I have made over the internet, the ones that lasted and that I met, and the ones that drifted away, and I wouldnt trade them for anything at all. I also realized why this type of friendship resonates with me, and that is because so many of my dear, dear friends live far away from me. People I have met through my 33 years of life, people that have taken up residence in my life for all the best of reasons, these people live miles away. The miles between me and those I have met are just like the miles between me and those I have yet to meet.
The friends I know in my life have become so through talking, hanging out, highs and lows, and the friends I dont know often get to see this in a similar way. I talk to people almost daily, random chit chat, or actual in depth conversations (doesnt matter), the communication aspect is indeed there. The hanging out part is harder to do, as you might imagine, but sometimes you are brought into these types of situations through technology with mentions, or sent pictures, or even skyping I suppose. The highs and lows will also always play into this because sometimes you cannot help but to share, to throw your situation out there, to reach out and see what comes back to you. These things are all what turns into true friendship, and these are things that happen in person, or over miles and miles of distance.
Most of my friends live far away from me, and some I havent even met yet, but I am glad to have all of them in my world.
I was thinking the other day, and a topic popped into my head and I started to figure out what I thought about it. It had to do with long distance friendships, and friendships that start over the internet itself. I had heard people bring up the question of whether you can truly be friends with someone you meet in this manner, in comparison to people you meet in real life. I have always thought yes, because I form bonds that I would describe as friendship over the internet, friendships that I know are true.
How do I know this? Well, there might always be the fear that there is an element of bullshit involved when talking to someone on the internet, that they might not be what they say are, but I like to think I have enough of a bullshit meter to weed those folks out. If not, oh well, the majority of those I bestow the title of friend upon, wont turn out to be asshats. Besides, doesnt that make it more akin to real life in the long run? How many times in your life have you met new people, hung out with them, thought you knew them, and they they undertake an act of betrayal that you never saw coming? So yeah, internet and real life both have the possibilities of meeting someone that isnt what they seem, but on the flip side they also bring the possibility that the person is going to be someone both important and amazing. So why fear this new realm of friendship that can be yours just by embracing technology?
Dont. Thats the short and easy answer to that question. Technology moves life forward in good and bad ways, but opening the world up through communication will always be a good thing. There are so many people on this planet, so many people that share interests with us, why hold yourself back to those that are in your immediate area? Of course it easier for those that live in bigger areas, more highly populated areas, but for those like me, the ones that live in smaller areas, it can be harder to find those people that you share interests with. This is where technology is amazing. Facebook, Twitter, and many other websites out there have allowed people to find like minded ones, to know they arent the only one that has that opinion. not the only one that finds that other thing completely aggravating, and this is and always will be good.
Technology allows people to reach out to others, to find people they can talk to without feeling judged, sometimes this is due to the partial anonymity, but often times it is because of the knowledge that commonalities exist and allow you to discuss things in a way that you feel comfortable about. So again, why not embrace technology for all these good things that it can do?
I applied this to my life and that is how I started to form the opinion you are reading here. I looked back at the friendships I have made over the internet, the ones that lasted and that I met, and the ones that drifted away, and I wouldnt trade them for anything at all. I also realized why this type of friendship resonates with me, and that is because so many of my dear, dear friends live far away from me. People I have met through my 33 years of life, people that have taken up residence in my life for all the best of reasons, these people live miles away. The miles between me and those I have met are just like the miles between me and those I have yet to meet.
The friends I know in my life have become so through talking, hanging out, highs and lows, and the friends I dont know often get to see this in a similar way. I talk to people almost daily, random chit chat, or actual in depth conversations (doesnt matter), the communication aspect is indeed there. The hanging out part is harder to do, as you might imagine, but sometimes you are brought into these types of situations through technology with mentions, or sent pictures, or even skyping I suppose. The highs and lows will also always play into this because sometimes you cannot help but to share, to throw your situation out there, to reach out and see what comes back to you. These things are all what turns into true friendship, and these are things that happen in person, or over miles and miles of distance.
Most of my friends live far away from me, and some I havent even met yet, but I am glad to have all of them in my world.
VIEW 7 of 7 COMMENTS
robotrogue:
Wait. When are you gonna be in van? Specific dates required.
leandra:
YOU.KNOW.AAAALLLLLLL!!!