A Downside of Being Connected

These days it's possible to get to know people we would never have met in times past. People who live far away, or perhaps one town over but moving in parallel but separate universes.

The internet has made this possible. It's a Good Thing, expanding our conversations and community in very real ways.

But I have just witnessed a big Down Side: with connection comes a level of caring, and when someone you know 'virtually' dies in reality, it can hurt. Perhaps not as keenly as when a 'real' and 'local' friend passes away, but still a pain that resonates.

A person I never met, whose voice I never heard, died this week. We shared presence on a web forum, sometimes responding to each other's posts, but mostly just co-existing in a local node in the webisphere. I admired his wit and wisdom. He wrote well. But I didn't really know him. I shouldn't be so affected by his death, but I am.

It's a good thing then, that a forum can grieve almost like a brick-and-mortar community. If acquaintances can be this real, our support must be too.