Friendships And The Internet
  

          Very recently, my personal computer crashed and I
        was unable to log onto the Net. This caused me a
        great amount of stress because most of my friends
        are only reachable online.

          That has me thinking about the positive and
        negative aspects of online friendships. In the 
        beginnings of many cyber 'meetings of the minds',
        people will alter certain facts about themselves to
        appear in a more positive light. Or so they hope.

          They may exaggerate their physical beauty or 
        tell you that they work at a higher paying job than
        they really do, etc.

          I have also found that there are those who are 
        honest with me from the beginning. They realize
        that the internet gives them as much anonymity
        as they need to completely pour their hearts out
        without ever having to 'face' me again, if they
        choose not to.

          That being said, I want to emphasize that if
        at all possible, we should continue to at least 
        try making and maintaining in-person friendships.
        
        

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