souls collide

In the age of cyberspace and information technology, one has to keep up with the fast-paced changes... and I jumped on the bandwagon and joined yet another networking site. What can I say? A lot of my friends from home were on it, and if I want to know what's going on with whom and who's doing what, it would be a good idea to join. I feel like that's the only way to know what's-going-on-with-whom and who's-doing-what nowadays. Even my uber-youthful mom has an account on one of these social networking sites (I LOVE how she keeps up with everyone -- she has that "everyone's mom" personality, and she keeps up with my long-distance friends better than I do!).

On one hand, these networking sites can certainly bring long-lost friends together. Or it can give you the "heads up" on a company doing some hiring. Or it can give you the latest update on so-and-so's newborn baby through online photo albums.

On the other hand, it amazes me how we now have to go through a third party to simply send a message to someone. It used to be that we wrote a letter, or picked up the phone to call a friend. Or sent a direct email. Now, even if both sides actually HAVE each other's email address, we go through this third party -- a networking site -- to make a connection.

Of course, this is just my own humble opinion... I have nothing against these networking sites, and I am one of the millions of people who are members of one or more sites. Let's face it, it's fun, albeit addicting and time-consuming.

At church this past Sunday, when it was time to wish each other peace, I turned to this little old lady next to me. We looked straight into each other's eyes, shook hands, and said to each other, "Peace be with you." In that brief, fleeting moment, I felt an amazing connection, just by looking into another person's eyes. I wondered about her past experiences, and the wisdom of her years, and what strength, beauty, and grace those eyes held. I'd like to think she was also wondering about my life, and what might lay ahead of me. I thought about how alike and different we were. And then I thought, how often do we stop and look directly into another person's eyes? And how often do we say a prayer of peace for another person?

What a refreshing change of pace from online networking.

(photo: Collective Soul, 2007)

"There is nothing brighter, more beautiful, more bountiful, more wonderful than your own living soul." - Yogi Bhajan