Sometimes, a grey rainy day just feels right

Yesterday, I was listening to NPR where they were interviewing friends and families of some of the folks who were shot at Virginia Tech earlier this week. One of the topics that came up was online communities and people expressing their sorrow on the kids' MySpace pages and other sites. She said that the outpouring of support and grief on the internet was greatly appreciated and helped the families. The interviewee said that she felt that their generation was different from the older generations because they have virtual communities that are a large part of their lives.

It made me think about my virtual relationships and communities. I think that for my generation, some of us are truly connected electronically and are able to participate in and appreciate relationships with people that we rarely if ever see in person. Several very good friends of mine and I primarily depend on the net to communicate. And I've seen the power of electronic communities and they are real and they are strong.

But what about the kids who grow up in a world of virtual life? I would venture that my friends and I are the elderly pioneers (sigh). We have been the pilgrims, the adventurers in this world. But kids are growing up with cell phones, texting, IM, MySpace, etc. as a given. I was happy to have a remote control for my tv! I think it will be very interesting to see how virtual communities change and grow as these kids become the innovators of the next wave of technology.

Tragedies affect all of us. Technology allows us to realize that we're not isolated in our feelings - it connects us and reminds us of our humanity, in a way. Who'da thunk?