Today's news was mostly bad, but this morning I connected with friends on the Internet. First of all, I'm going to meet some friends tomorrow and decided when to meet. I emailed my friend at 10:22 and said, "See you at 6." At 10:35, one of them emailed me. I sent my condolences and was delighted with the speed and ease with which I could connect with my friends over the Internet. In his e-mails from 15:00 to 8:00, he didn't say anything about downsizing, so he must have found out two hours before he told us this morning.
Before telephones and computers, high-speed communication was available only to those who could afford to send letters or hire errand boys. On the other hand, before the telephone spread in England, the postal service was so efficient that if you sent an invitation at breakfast, you should receive a reply the same day. Still, it doesn't compare to getting an answer in 13 minutes or knowing a significant event in a friend's life in less than two hours.
After receiving this bad news and feeling a little joy in connecting with a friend, I read even more bad news on another friend's blog and realized I was less connected than I thought. A blogger friend of mine is worried that he is depressed and an alcoholic. According to his blog, he is not allowed to talk about it with his friends, including me.I wonder if he knows that some of his friends read his blog . Like most blog sites, comments are allowed here, so I gave advice anonymously and encouraged people to talk to friends. I'm curious if what I said reveals who I am. Later, another friend and I discussed him and his blog through a messenger program.
Unfortunately, the world is full of joys and sorrows, both kind and cruel. So when you can connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime, you'll receive bad news as quickly and clearly as you receive good news. That said, I hope the good news keeps coming.
