Weblife Reality

Before I go any further with "The Team", I gotta make an argument first. Ya see, the first group of people are cats that I know in realtime; I've seen and walked with them physically at some point in my life. But the next group of people I'm gonna thumb thru... they're digital. As digital as I am right now.

Now, many cats would say you can't really have friends that you only talk to online. WEll... in a sense that's true. You can't share life experiences with digital friends. You never know if they really care for you because the friendship is never tested by any of the threats that life presents. Matter of fact, if the person lies about his or her persona, you never really know anything about the person in the first place.

Good arguments. But I don't think they're good enough to downplay web communities to mere fictions. My stance is this:

1) While there won't be any going to movies and football games and the park and such, simply being on the Net together can be an experience. Sharing musical tastes, having long chat sessions, congregating in chatrooms by the dozens, playing games, sharing poems/raps/etc... those are activities too. Personally, I can say that I am the writer that I am today, especially when it comes to poetry and raps, because of my having a community of people with which to share material and get critiques and tips. Aside from all that, I'm a Christian, and as a Christian one way I know to interact with people no matter where they are is thru prayer. I've prayed with people I've met online, and I've prayed for people I've met online. And that's a very real experience.

2) In real life, friends are obligated to be there for you when they can be. But even in reality friends can't always be there for you, such as in the event that they move away. Does that mean that they're not your friends? Nah. And I say it's the same on the Net. You meet people with the obvious understanding that, "No, I can't be there for you physically when you need me". However, as it is in reality, you don't have to physically "be there" with somebody to "be there" for them. Words are so powerful that a telephone call can allow you to be in the trenches with a friend. And, if people choose to, they can be there for you via chatroom as well. The thoughts and the words used in both situations are all the same; one is spoken, the other usually typed. And let me reiterate, there's always prayer. Prayer is so versatile that it can't be limited by our primitive technology, lol.

3) Sure, it's a cinch to pretend to be someone else and fool everybody you meet on the Net if you want; same as in reality. I meet fake people all the time: fake handshakes, fake smiles, fake physical features... It's the same thing. So it's pretty weak to say you can't trust Net surfers, because you're actually pretty dumb if you trust ANYBODY nowadays, tangible or digital. Ironically, while it's easy to mislead people on the Net, the Net also makes it easier to be truthful with people. Picture this: a world with no races, no prejudices, no obligations, no associations. That's web community. In web communities, people only know what other people want them to know, so you're never judged based on what you are; only by what you choose to post up. And, since many people you talk to are nowhere near your situation or location, they can give you honest and objective feedback. You can tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to whoever wants to listen and just be satisfied that somebody out there knows how you really feel.

Now I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm in favor of Net-dating and Net-romance and stuff like that; any romantic knows that some things can't be communicated in word alone. So I say in that case don't start what you can't finish. Plus, that's where misleading surfers can really do some damage. But anything short of the love scene, web community is great for.

So there you have it; I have justified the digital branch of "The Team" by asserting the validity of Weblife Reality(<-------"oh he's so eloquent!" lol). Be on the lookout for "The Stanks", "The Horsemen and Co.", and "The Students". But before I leave, I'd like to bring up a conversation that me and an MC, Cause of DEF, had over the Net one night. Interacting with people via Internet really brings up an important question: What are we? Many would say that we are just flesh and bone, and yet when you communicate with people via web community flesh and bone is nowhere present. But traces of your essence still appear on the screen as you type; I bet somebody out there right now recognizes you simply by the way you word things and the things you tend to talk about, for instance. Isn't that you? Your very soul, you might say?

lol... Just tryna get your mind going. It's gon be alright. All Love and Jesus PeaceB-)