Another's Journey


 

I have friends on Facebook I first met on Y360 shortly after my head injury. A friend who had been there and done it before told me to practice what I did not want to lose, and at the time that was my ability to read, comprehend, write, and communicate effectively. An on line journal seemed to be the ticket. And a lot of other "damaged" people seemed to be doing the same thing. That was twenty years ago and Y360 is no more but we traveled to other platforms.

Facebook announces from time to time that I have been friends with this person or that for eight or nine years and I double it in my head because I know where it was we met in the ether. Sometimes their virtual presence lasts longer than they do. Their image pops up in a nudge to wish them a happy birthday or a memory fostered by FB or a photo I posted in the past. There used to be this sense they were not "real" friends. I always rather disagreed with that especially once neighbors became a large segment of my FB friends  and I had the opportunity to meet in person many of those FBF's. 

During the time of the pandemic lock down the FBF's became very real. They became as connected, if not more, than your distant Aunt Amy stuck in isolation at the nursing home in Witchath. But now there seems to be an annoying trend toward feeling they can tell you off like Aunt Amy. We forget there is a whole segment of our lives before Covid, and OMG before FaceBook. Even before the internet. Before Dad came back safely from missing in action in Korea. There was that day when the family took off to the new base assignment and forgot to pick me up at my school where I was attending the second grade.

Or when driving back to attend Kansas City for Christmas and I got out at the filling station and nobody noticed I did not get back inside. When my kid sister was born I decided such things were not going to happen to her. And that my brother was definitely not my friend because he never mention either time I was missing. If I haven't shared these things with you then you don't totally know me. But there are some ethernet friends since the Y360 days which know me better than others. And I know some things about them. But unless asked in a personal message I do not have the right to give them advice. 

And if we have a less intense relationship definitely not. Certainly not in an open conversation. You do not know my journey and while I can relate to yours, I do not know your journey well enough to tell you how to live it.



Comments

  1. Diana mtnsingerAugust 6, 2021 at 7:05 PM

    Hugs, and yes, it seems like many feel like they can now tell/judge anyone/everyone on how to live without knowing a thing about the person. :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JBinford-BellAugust 7, 2021 at 4:22 AM

      Or only the superficial things. I used to judge new friends by their bookshelves. Judge at least to the point of making a decision I wanted to get to know them better. Ebooks have ended that practice. Now I make a "to friend or not to friend" decision on the basis of their mutual friends and a quick perusal of their photo files. But that is just the initial sort as it were. Like the book shelves.

      Delete

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