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Friday Five
November 2009 
Connecting
Posted on Jul 9th, 2008
by 
Jessica
Jessica
I have a confession to make... sometimes I visit other social networks. Call it research ;)
Really, I visit them for the same reason many others do, each serves a particular purpose and you can find different people. It's clear to me that Gaia serves a unique purpose as well and the more I visit other networks, the more I see the value of what we have to offer here at Gaia, our incredible community of world-changers and extraordinary positive thinkers. Wow. But, surprisingly, this blog isn't about Gaia in particular.
It's about connecting in our technologically advanced age.
I'm amazed that I can enter a name, with maybe a keyword, into Google and find contact information for people I haven't spoken to in years. If they have an unusual name, I'll probably hit them on the first try. Once in a while I'll type in a name and no relevant results will emerge, which is even more surprising. But, for the most part, I have the opportunity to connect with people all over the world. People from my past with whom I've lost touch and never forgotten. And, that too is mysterious. Sometimes I think the connections we make, however small, never fade. We're linked through time, for better or for worse.
It's like String Theory... or not ;)
Sometimes we pretend that our interactions don't matter. We conveniently disregard both platonic and intimate connections. Yet, the names, the faces, impressions and imprints remain, perhaps to pop into our mind at some unforeseeable time in the future. Perhaps to pop up in a friend request on Gaia or Facebook. And, we may not even really reconnect. We may have been the best of friends and now merely check each others' profiles for updates rather than maintain direct communication.
Perhaps we don't need traditional communication. We'll let the Internet connection do it for us, magically projecting our intention into cyberspace with the telepathic message "I'm thinking of you and I'm glad you're still alive." And, we may prefer this to more archaic methods of preserving relationships. After-all, it does take less time and in some cases it even leads to a bit more face-to-face contact.
I'm not saying any of this is bad. I simply marvel at it. I am amazed by the shift in our culture and how patterns of interaction have changed over the course of the past decade. I am in awe of search engines and social networking sites that span the globe. I am totally impressed by the speed of email, which certainly seems faster than the speed of light ;)
I'm just flabbergasted that I can find a friend from high school and send a short message as though it's been no time at all. In fact, it always seems like it's been no time at all. I'm starting to think it hasn't. I don't know if I'm alone here, but Time seems to collapse through this kind of communication. The bonds forged, however weak or strong, are burned into the fabric of my life. Time seems slightly outdone by these karmic connections. It's like something in my DNA has picked up a bit of this person, forever encoding them and calling out "I know you." It's relieving and quite scary at the same time.
In my spiritual practice we talk about affinity and karma and the intangible forces that connect us. It's clear that we're in this together. These ideas definitely help me understand and make sense of my experience, but I am no less astonished by it.
I'm also reminded that each interaction and relationship matters. The bonds stretch below the surface. I want to leave behind goodness and greater wisdom instead of harm or delusion. I want my relationships to be beneficial. I can't say they have all been because I've been young and confused before and still get confused sometimes ;)
If I had a megaphone to send a message to everyone I've ever known I'd apologize from the depths of my being for any harm I caused or delusion I encouraged or abetted. I'd say "I am sorry for anything harmful and I wish you the very best, truly, truly, truly. I hope you are gaining wisdom and growing all the time. I hope you are happy, blessed with clarity and Good beyond my imagining." And, that is my psychic message to all my connections. I don't have a megaphone, but I think the Internet works better anyway :) It's almost unbelievable. What a wondrous world.
Really, I visit them for the same reason many others do, each serves a particular purpose and you can find different people. It's clear to me that Gaia serves a unique purpose as well and the more I visit other networks, the more I see the value of what we have to offer here at Gaia, our incredible community of world-changers and extraordinary positive thinkers. Wow. But, surprisingly, this blog isn't about Gaia in particular.
It's about connecting in our technologically advanced age.
I'm amazed that I can enter a name, with maybe a keyword, into Google and find contact information for people I haven't spoken to in years. If they have an unusual name, I'll probably hit them on the first try. Once in a while I'll type in a name and no relevant results will emerge, which is even more surprising. But, for the most part, I have the opportunity to connect with people all over the world. People from my past with whom I've lost touch and never forgotten. And, that too is mysterious. Sometimes I think the connections we make, however small, never fade. We're linked through time, for better or for worse.
It's like String Theory... or not ;)
Sometimes we pretend that our interactions don't matter. We conveniently disregard both platonic and intimate connections. Yet, the names, the faces, impressions and imprints remain, perhaps to pop into our mind at some unforeseeable time in the future. Perhaps to pop up in a friend request on Gaia or Facebook. And, we may not even really reconnect. We may have been the best of friends and now merely check each others' profiles for updates rather than maintain direct communication.
Perhaps we don't need traditional communication. We'll let the Internet connection do it for us, magically projecting our intention into cyberspace with the telepathic message "I'm thinking of you and I'm glad you're still alive." And, we may prefer this to more archaic methods of preserving relationships. After-all, it does take less time and in some cases it even leads to a bit more face-to-face contact.
I'm not saying any of this is bad. I simply marvel at it. I am amazed by the shift in our culture and how patterns of interaction have changed over the course of the past decade. I am in awe of search engines and social networking sites that span the globe. I am totally impressed by the speed of email, which certainly seems faster than the speed of light ;)
I'm just flabbergasted that I can find a friend from high school and send a short message as though it's been no time at all. In fact, it always seems like it's been no time at all. I'm starting to think it hasn't. I don't know if I'm alone here, but Time seems to collapse through this kind of communication. The bonds forged, however weak or strong, are burned into the fabric of my life. Time seems slightly outdone by these karmic connections. It's like something in my DNA has picked up a bit of this person, forever encoding them and calling out "I know you." It's relieving and quite scary at the same time.
In my spiritual practice we talk about affinity and karma and the intangible forces that connect us. It's clear that we're in this together. These ideas definitely help me understand and make sense of my experience, but I am no less astonished by it.
I'm also reminded that each interaction and relationship matters. The bonds stretch below the surface. I want to leave behind goodness and greater wisdom instead of harm or delusion. I want my relationships to be beneficial. I can't say they have all been because I've been young and confused before and still get confused sometimes ;)
If I had a megaphone to send a message to everyone I've ever known I'd apologize from the depths of my being for any harm I caused or delusion I encouraged or abetted. I'd say "I am sorry for anything harmful and I wish you the very best, truly, truly, truly. I hope you are gaining wisdom and growing all the time. I hope you are happy, blessed with clarity and Good beyond my imagining." And, that is my psychic message to all my connections. I don't have a megaphone, but I think the Internet works better anyway :) It's almost unbelievable. What a wondrous world.
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