Global Villagers

I have spent many years on the Internet. In fact, I was online long before the Internet even existed. Back then, we had what was known as BBS's: Bulletin Board Systems. They basically were private computers open to the public, you could call them using a phone and a modem, download files, send messages, play simple games or chat with the Operator: the one running the system. I had my own BBS and I still have vivid memories, like chatting with a friend from Israel who called in from his basement in Jerusalem while the Exorcet rockets were doing their gruesome job to the city above him. It was an amazing experience, being able to talk with someone so far away as if they were right around the corner.

These days, the Internet is such an integrated part of our lives we have come to find it normal to speak to people from all over the globe. The global village has become a reality. Yet, at the same time, it is a virtual reality. Virtual not only because that is it's very nature, but also virtual as in: it appears to be. The anonimity of the Internet leaves plenty of room for people to lie, pretend, and hurt each other without risking repercussions. It is also, for the most part, a very superficial way of interacting. Most of us have tons of online "friends". It's funny really, how the word "friend" is used so lightly when it comes to online interactions. I mean.. would you call someone you occasionally run into at a bar in real life, a friend? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't, such a person would be "someone I know from the bar", or "an acquaintance". Ask yourself: How many of my "friends" would I still be able to reach if for some reason my Internet connection went down for months in a row? How many of them would be there for me, if I was in a crisis and desperately needed a shoulder to cry on? How many of them do I really know, and how many really know me, the real me, all flaws, strengths, fears and dreams included? And, and this is a scary one, how many of them would even notice if I disappeared? For me, the list of people I really consider friends is pretty short.

And then of course there is that other danger the Internet has brought us. Online life, not as an addition to, but as a substitute for, real life. I know people who actually live their life on the Internet. They don't have a job, they hardly ever leave the house, in fact their life is miserable and empty.. if it wasn't for the Internet. Because online, they are big. Running guilds and empires in virtual worlds, inventing and implementing brilliant strategies to conquer cities and kill incredibly strong monsters, king or queen of their self invented castle, all kneel to my true royalty. No no, I keep my true identity private, I don't mix both worlds. Please respect that. And I can't help but wonder: respect? But ehm.. you're an overweight 30 year old highschool dropout living in your mom's attic, sleeping till noon then spending your day and most of your night gaming and eating cold pizza. Just what am I supposed to respect?

Don't get me wrong. I spend quite some time on the Internet, myself. Surfing, gaming, chatting, writing, studying, couselling, teaching. But I try to keep a healthy balance between online and offline. I also try to be 100% myself in both worlds. it doesn't work all the time, but I try.