How many people do really know? In this age of social and digital media, our "world" has expanded exponentially. We can blog, post, tweet, Facebook, and rant to an entire social network that wasn't within our reach fifteen years ago. Now, all we have to do is push "send" and our thoughts can reach others half a world away. For better or worse, this is the world we live in today. But I ask you, how many people do you really know? How many of those Facebook friends have celebrated a birthday with you? Been there to rescue you in an hour of need? Or helped celebrate a moment of triumph? Can you really call all those people "friends"?
Yes, our society has gone digital, sometimes too digital, but the old fashioned way of communication is still in play: face-to-face conversation. We still need to have human contact, that human element to life. We cannot live in a digital plane and hide from people. That isn't a realistic possibility. Ours is a world of facial expressions, body language, hand gestures, stuttering, and stammering that cannot be duplicated by smiley faces or hearts.
So, I ask again, how many people do you know? Do they really know the "real" you? Your fears, hopes, dreams, and nightmares? How about your aspirations? Your defeats? Do they know the simple surface things? What is your favorite color? The food you can't stand to even smell? Guilty pleasure? Or the place you feel the safest? I'm pretty sure they don't. But those real friends, the ones who you grew up with, know every little detail about you. Or those who you met in college, the ones who helped you figure out what to do in the "real" world. And your co-workers whom you may see more than family. How much do they know about you? Or do you keep them at arms length because you're there "just to get the job done not make friends"?
The reason I bring this up is very simple. How many of us actually really let others into our lives? Do we let even our closest friends/family see a glimpse of who we are? There are very few of us that walk this earth that have been completely vulnerable ... at the mercy of the opinions of those we call friend. We are all very comfortable with the surface stuff. It's when we dig a bit deeper that it gets complicated? But really, is asking someone how their family is doing or what their hopes/dreams are, is that really digging too deep? How many of us know the passions of our co-workers are outside of work? Do we even know where they're originally from? Or if they hold a Masters degree in English? I can safely say that I don't.
We all need to make a better effort in knowing those around us. I'm not saying we have to know every little hope or dream, but we need to make an effort to know more about those around us. And we all also have to make more of an effort to open up our lives to those who may inquire. That conversation about music could evolve into a lifelong friendship. Discussing one's passion for rescuing pets could lead to fulfilling role as an animal shelter volunteer. We don't need to be so guarded with our lives. Yes privacy is important, but only to a certain degree. We don't need to have everyone at arm's length. Instead we should be trying to learn about all we can in many ways.
We should be celebrating every one's life now, when we're here. Life is not but a journey, but it's a journey that should be celebrated each and every single day with the sounds of joy and laughter. We need to celebrate our friends and family while we have them close to our hearts here on this earth.
RIP Karon Wendt ... this should have been written a long time ago. I thank you for your generosity, kind words, and sharp tongue. You have been missed and will continue to be missed by many. I only wish those words of kindness could have been shared with you while you were here with us. I miss hearing your laughter and seeing your smile at work each day. Rest in Peace .....
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