Sometimes it's hard for me to see it that way; since the Internet is used by fallible humans, it showcases the best and worst of people -- their foibles and their follies. It's easy to find ugliness and negativity wherever you look online.
Most days, however, I do see the Internet as a force for good in my life. I'm able to connect with people I probably wouldn't speak to very often; I receive and offer encouragement; I learn about concepts that fuel my dreams; I find opportunities to help others. I watch how other people I know are striving to "leave the world better they found it."
What I find most incredible about the Internet is the ability to reach out directly to people who in years past, we would likely never have personal contact with. I have a few online friends who frequently tweet back and forth with celebrities. I myself have been able to have brief Twitter or Facebook exchanges with authors and thinkers I respect.
The other day the Internet gave me a particular gift. I follow the Facebook page of Thich Nhat Hanh. If you're not familiar, he is a famous Zen master, poet, and peace activist. Last week, he (or the members of his monastic community who monitor his Facebook page, more likely), posted a message that was so well-timed for me:
"We have to live in such a way that we realise our dream every day. We all need a dream to nourish us and give life meaning. We can even ask our parents, 'Have you realised your dream? Can I help you realise it?'"
Without thinking much, I replied, "I wish I had asked my dad that before I lost him."
Because it's true - I've often wished that I had spent more time talking to my dad about things other the mundane. I've regretted that I never really knew his dreams for me, or for himself. I knew what he loved and what mattered to him. But what dreams did he take with him to the grave?
Much to my surprise, there was an instant reply: "You can still look deeply and discover the dream of your parents and to help him realise this dream today."
Wow! How amazing is that? I don't have to visit Tibet to be able to share what's on my heart with Thich Nhat Hanh and others in his community. I can receive a message in the middle of a normal work day that is exactly what I needed to know. This is something that wouldn't have been imaginable to me several years ago.
So, I will follow this advice, and think deeply not only about my own dreams, but about fulfilling the dreams my father would have wanted me to chase.
And when I start to get bogged down in the negativity I see on the Internet, I'll remember that sometimes, the Internet is a vehicle for hope - a gift from God.
Without thinking much, I replied, "I wish I had asked my dad that before I lost him."
Because it's true - I've often wished that I had spent more time talking to my dad about things other the mundane. I've regretted that I never really knew his dreams for me, or for himself. I knew what he loved and what mattered to him. But what dreams did he take with him to the grave?
Much to my surprise, there was an instant reply: "You can still look deeply and discover the dream of your parents and to help him realise this dream today."
Wow! How amazing is that? I don't have to visit Tibet to be able to share what's on my heart with Thich Nhat Hanh and others in his community. I can receive a message in the middle of a normal work day that is exactly what I needed to know. This is something that wouldn't have been imaginable to me several years ago.
So, I will follow this advice, and think deeply not only about my own dreams, but about fulfilling the dreams my father would have wanted me to chase.
And when I start to get bogged down in the negativity I see on the Internet, I'll remember that sometimes, the Internet is a vehicle for hope - a gift from God.
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