repost of October 2006

October surprise
Talk is cheap. There's nothing quite so wonderful as being in the company of people you like, talking about things, whether personal or of general interest, that make people feel engaged in each other and in the world or with other people. Being isolated is a terrible experience after a while, it truly robs from the soul and engenders distorted feelings of sociopathic or narcissitic nature, for example, or just loneliness.

Seeing homeless people on our streets used to be a shock; remember in the early 80s when homelessness was a relatively shocking phenomenon? But some of the same people are still out there, and for others (including younger generations) it is a lifestyle that is one of the "norms" in the millennial paradigm.

When I am confronted in my car or bike with a homeless person holding a begging sign, or approached on a downtown street by a healthy or unhealthy person soliciting money for (a) a cheeseburger or (b) $25 for a room for the night, my automatic response is not to reward the behavior.

But I don't want to be unable to generate a human connection, so there's the rub.

If the only people you encounter are strangers on the street, you are not alone.

If you stay in your home you don't even encounter strangers.

And if you stay on the internet, your encounters, being generated in your own mind, are devoid of any flesh or blood other than your own. Even though they are real. Yes, the sweat, blood, tears of another exist in you, as Jesus could tell you if you could hear Him speak. But that's really not necessary.

If you want to meet You out there in the community, the best strategy is face to face. Not that I have anything against the internet. It's the one communication system that is shared by nearly everyone who has ever lived, isn't that fascinating?

Hope to see you in the City of Roses.