You know, it’s funny. Every once in a while I do a vanity search. Google your own name and viola! You have a vanity search. What I find funny is what else always comes up with your name: how many people have your same name, how many people have quoted you or answered your posting somewhere. I find that part almost as fascinating.

The other thing I like to do is Google old friends. These are people I haven’t seen in a long time or ones with whom I’ve had a “falling out.” Ah, memories. Such a good thing. What I find fascinating about this is that I get to see not only what they’ve been up to but how they’ve changed. Gets me thinking about my own changes. My “googles” don’t change that often. I wonder if theirs do.

I’m also amazed by how much people are willing to “put” on the internet. I just joined Facebook (yes, kicking and screaming into the 21st century) purely on a whim. People LIVE on this thing! Not only that, they have to tell you, all the time, about what they’re doing, who they’re doing, and how they’re doing it. Wow. Is this a new world or what?

Needless to say, I hope I remember to even login once in a while.

One could argue that if everything is “out there,” what does it matter? You can’t really have it used against you because, well, everyone already knows. Yet, I wonder…Where is the discovery of another human being? What about the intimacy and intricacy of human facial expressions, body language, and emotional response? Are we growing a nation of people who don’t know how to interact? There are over 19 MILLION people on FaceBook. Worldwide. I know some people who don’t even have a cell phone – they ONLY use Facebook to communicate. Wow. I thought cell phones were bad…

Do me a favor. Go out and hug someone. Your brain will thank you for it.

–TDD