{"id":86,"date":"2008-06-17T16:15:00","date_gmt":"2008-06-17T16:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moavenz.com\/blog\/?p=86"},"modified":"2008-06-17T16:15:00","modified_gmt":"2008-06-17T16:15:00","slug":"nice-to-meet-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/moavenz.com\/blog\/?p=86","title":{"rendered":"Nice to Meet You"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve been contemplating lately the nature of these virtual relationships we develop through blogging. Foolery<\/a> mentioned her awkwardness over referring to these relationships as “friends” when she’s with the friends\/family she actually physically interacts with – and I can relate to that. I’ve gone through all sorts of linguistic gymnastics to share the wit and wisdom I gain from reading other blogs. So why is that?!!<\/p>\n

Being a highly social extrovert, I’m friendly with everyone I meet; add “Southern” into the mix, and you get someone who’s not afraid to strike up conversations with strangers at the store or on the street. But, whenever I meet a new friend<\/span>, someone who becomes more than just a casual acquaintance, there’s a feeling I get — we “connect”, you might even call it a form of “attraction”. What’s interesting to me is that I can get the same feeling from even just a few “comment volleys” with fellow bloggers. Once, I simply read a comment on, my friend, Mrs. G’s blog<\/a>, read the commenter’s description of herself on her blog, and just felt like I’d found a long lost sister. [Really!! I even hesitated before typing “sister”, but that’s actually how I felt.]<\/p>\n

Reflecting on this phenomenon, I realize that it affirms my faith in God. I’m what you might label an agnostic, who is highly religious. Words are immensely inadequate to describe my (or anyone’s) spirituality, but I’ll try. I mellowed from full-blown, in-your-face atheism [not all atheists are like that, but I sure was] to agnosticism in my mid-20’s, then had what many would call a “born again” experience. I made it through my “fundamentalistic” phase and now find myself joyously contemplating complex questions and doubts in the protection of an abiding certitude.<\/p>\n

Back to “blog friends” (hasn’t someone coined a cute word for that yet?! I mean, other than Sarah<\/a>). This ability to connect that transcends our physical reality (we utilize none of our physical senses, unless someone posts a photo or video) surely indicates that there is more to the human reality than just our physical being – we are spiritual beings as well. And that’s the place where we connect on-line, no matter what we call ourselves.<\/p>\n

\"Share\"\/<\/a><\/div>\n