When the Internet Fails Me

I remember now why I never comment on forums or community style blogs, where people get into discussions in the comments. I went and commented on one today, about a sensitive topic to me, so I did it anonymously. And then I read several comments in return, and although there was a little good advice, for the most part I realized that they hadn't really understood what I meant. And then it hit me, that how in the world could they grasp the situation, when I had only left a couple of paragraphs anonymously?

Those few sentences couldn't possibly represent my whole life history, being, beliefs, trials, past experiences, basically couldn't possibly represent me. I needed for them to understand and give good advice fitting for me, and to be able to do that, they needed was to read a mini-novel that could tell them all this.

And then the epiphany struck; what I really wanted, was a real-life, flesh and blood person, who knew me, to talk to. What a shocking idea - a conversation where someone knows where I'm coming from! Where they know me!

The Internet has failed me. Or maybe I've failed the real world.

Except I haven't talked to people in real life about this particular issue because basically, I'm just at fault and would be whining about things in my life that I can't control, so I shouldn't try (And that's all I'm going to say about that).

I don't think this means that we shouldn't have conversations at all on the Internet. One unique advantage of Internet as media is its interactivity. I love reading others' blogs. I'm not always good at commenting on them, because I don't always know what to say, and every time that I do, I come off looking inane, or writing a novel. After I wrote that comment, I never checked the subsequent comments, because I was terrified that I came off sounding preachy and overly verbose (even for me), and I was half convinced that all the later comments went something like, "Wow, how did you attract such a weirdo who can't shut up to read your blog?"

Ironically, I love it when people I don't know comment on my blogs; I love reading them, and I've never been put off by anything that someone has commented on here. And I like commenting on blogs more than forums, because honestly, people are a lot harsher on forums about people who say things off the cuff of their mouth, and then go back and read them later and wonder, "Did I really come off sounding like that? That isn't me! I'm not that judgmental/pitiful/preachy/insert-embarrassing-behavior-here." On blogs people are usually very kind and excited that you're there. So I'm trying to be better at commenting on blogs when I have something to say (In order to also stave off the, "Hey! I'm commenting! Whoopie!" sort of comments).

Actually, I lied earlier in this post. About the original reason I had the epiphany - after I realized that the Internet had failed me, I read some scriptures, and prayed, and realized at least Heavenly Father and Jesus won't fail me, and they understood me, without me having to write a novel, because they'd seen my whole life as it had happened. And I felt better. I guess that's what I really needed people to tell me online, although it wasn't the actual advice I asked for; it was just the advice that I needed.(it was a Mormon forum type place); be Christlike, read your scriptures, pray, be patient. Seminary answers, except more often then not they're all the real life answers there are, too.