Reality Bites
Sometimes, reality can take all the fun out of posting in forums.
Or maybe, it’s a needed wake-up call that reminds us of what’s truly important in life.
Everyone has his or her own reasons for participating in Internet forums. Some people love to debate the issues. Others seek to sway others to their side of political idealogy. Still others simply like to stay informed. Me? I’ve always admitted that, first and foremost, I enjoy the entertainment value of interacting with others. I like sharing my opinions and expressing myself, but if it’s not fun, it’s not worth it.
I enjoy exchanging jabs and barbs with others. I think this stems from my younger days. I mentioned this before, but I have three older brothers who I fought with all the time. I could never beat them physically, but for some reason I always had a knack for verbal jabs that really stuck it to them. The problem with me was, I didn’t always know when to stop. That’s very true now, here at Liberty News Forum, where I’m the “Queen of Mean” or “Jas-Mean” or, my favorite, “The Jasminator.” I don’t mind taking shots, and I definitely enjoy dishing them right back.
Okay.
Like I said, reality has a way of intruding in on the fun. I was reminded of this tonight, when I read LadyLawyer’s post about her illness. She spent several days at the hospital.
Now, I’m not a fan of LadyLawyer. There are times when I can barely tolerate her. But reading her post, I could visualize in my mind LL in a hospital bed, suffering from whatever malady she has. It’s enough to bring tears to my eyes, really. A sudden sadness came over me. Even though I don’t necessarily like LL’s views, I don’t want her to be sick. That just sucks.
I have a hard time dealing with death. It’s a subject that I often struggle with. When I heard about the passing of Roger in this forum, I nearly quit posting here. This may sound silly, but the very thought of someone I come to know - even if it’s just on the Internet - passing away is very hard for me to deal with. Lots of times, I think about people who don’t post at LNF anymore - people like ProudVet, Weaselteeth, American Patriot, Cross&Flag, Justice For All, etc. - and I worry about what’s happened to them.
Does this sound a bit macabre? I don’t mean it to be. I’m not suggesting that LadyLawyer is deathly ill (I hope not). But it’s times like this that break the “reality barrier,” so to speak, and remind me that none of us are invulnerable to life’s difficulties - even the characters we deal with on the Internet.