Close Encounters - Part 2
Close Encounters - Part 2
Ah, the Internet. That piece of cyberspace that has integrated
itself into our lives, whether we wanted it or not. Yes,
it has made life easier, or so we think, but also it has distanced
us, one from another in ways that could never have been anticipated.
Our screen name replaces our real name, and with it, a degree
of anonymity emerges, as we have now the opportunity to
be whoever we chose to be, the alter ego that existed in real
life, but for whatever myriad of reasons, was never explored.
So, as web explorers now, we seek out on our quest others
of like interests, like desires, like minds, and in doing
so, we hope to connect at some level, whether it be cellular
or through the 1s and 0s of cyber code.
And so, we move into this great unknown, laptop in hand,
with hopes of discovering that individual, that person
that we know empirically exists, who is capable of complimenting
us in ways that others can not, and in doing so, opening the
proverbial shared door for each of us to become who we truly
are, or sometimes if we are not honest with ourselves, who
we wish to be.
The Internet has impacted the manner in which we communicate,
as now an IM, or an email becomes standard as it allows us
to communicate when time permits us to, due to schedules,
distances, or simply on the way we feel at any given moment.
We communicate when it is convenient for us, and leisurely
search through profiles of individuals, trying to locate
that unique person, that one that somehow stands out above
the rest, so that we can reach out and touch, through this
digital medium, the heart, and perhaps, if we are lucky,
the soul of that individual.
So, can there be love as we know it through this digital medium?
If we can accept that fact that each word, each phrase, each
paragraph transmits to the recipient a bit of our individual
essence, then perhaps there can be that sort of metaphysical
exchange occurring. It is communicated as effectively
and as instantly as the sound of a voice over the phone, or
the glance shared in an intimate setting. You see, the feelings
of what we are seeking come from within us radiating outward,
and are present in our communications to others, even though
that person may be miles or even continents away.
It is now October 2004, and in the course of time on Adult FriendFinder, there
has been the privilege of communicating with others, and
a time or two, the actual meeting with another, initiated
through this medium. And the end result, you ask?
Chemistry, that unknown, unfathomable of qualities,
must be present, and while there may the affinity toward
someone else, based upon digital communication, it does
take a personal contact, up close and personal, face to
face, to actualize the feelings that may exist on line.
The unspoken non-verbal communication supplants and
overshadows whatever may have been communicated digitally,
and in doing so, much like a painting that we view from a distance,
the closer we look, the nuances of the artist are discovered
all the more clearly. And so it is with the individual.
That unknown ingredient then, the chemistry generated
from two individuals, two separate and unique souls, must
spark and burst into flame, as the catalyst of all that has
potential of becoming.
Or, God forbid, do we create the seeds of its own destruction
by presuming that chemistry exists, simply by digital
exchanges? The irony is that the chemistry is known to exist,
or not exist, in an instant - that very first five seconds
of personal contact. And from that first initial contact,
we either accept or reject the that chemistry, and thus
we inherently know that the other person is one that we will
chose or not chose to carry the relationship to another
level. The seeds of that chemistry do exist in the digital
medium, and in this virtual world, we sense that chemistry,
or lack thereof, in every digital exchange that takes place.
So, where does that leave us in this first quarter of the
twenty-first century? We are travelers in a new media,
one of all the senses, sans touch, but with the remaining
senses somewhat blocked to degrees. We communicate intellectually
most of the time, and while we are distant, behind our computer
screen, we somehow need the interaction of others, and
in fact we crave the interaction of others in our existence,
in our quest to become the best possible me we can become.
And in doing so, we attract to ourselves those of like minds,
like thoughts, like desires, and like philosophies, with
the hope that in doing so, we fill the voids that may be present,
as a result of the technology that is in use today. The cyber
world is both demon and angel in our existence, as while
it may be on the forefront of making the world that much smaller,
it also adds a degree of separation to each of us, whether
we know it or not.
The answer, then, as to whether there is love, as we know
it on the internet, in reality, resides within each and
every one of us. We either accept that it exists totally,
or we reject it outright. There is no middle ground whatsoever.
Love is giving of ones self, unconditionally, without
expectation or self serving, selfish motives. It can exist
in this medium, and have an existence as strong as in any
other, provided that we allow it to enter our lives.
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