I remember my days, which were devoid of friendship, and I always felt lonely. I sincerely felt I was deprived of any social relationship and imagined myself as a unicorn with a horn. Circumstances restricted me to be alone and I literally lived in a world of imagination where I had fun and enjoyed life with my virtual friends.
With the advent of Internet, Virtual friendship got a shape. As every one knows, I must agree that this virtual friendship has two sides, a dual personality, the brighter side and the darker side. The brighter side brought together like minded people and helped people to keep in touch with their close buddies. The darker side introduced everyone to an unknown sector of people. This involved all types of risks and the danger of getting into trouble at any instance. Yet, it has its benefits. Tread the place with care. You can win good friends with success. But, that happens only rarely and not frequently.
Virtual friendship introduced me into both aspects of friendship. It took me some time to realize how to handle elements that may turn against you and make fun of your sincere friendship. Numerous people are there waiting to make use of the desperate need of a friendship and fail to provide the true comfort of friendship. Just like a teenage girl thrown out to face life on her own, I felt to be in a world of maze. I knew how to enter the maze, but struggle to come out of it without hurting myself.
Most of the virtual friends at the first instance think that if a girl wishes to find a virtual friend, she always expects an intimate relationship that will happen virtually. Is this the way a human mind will think? In the beginning I was little scared and found it difficult to manage. I was literally shocked to know the darker side of virtual friends on the other end. With an assumption that they are not showing their face, and no one can meet them in person, these people tend to flirt and talk nonsense to the extreme. Virtual world helps an extrovert person to break the ice and helps to learn to socialize. Unfortunately, things happen in the other way round, and it makes the person further dumb and speechless.
Real friendship also has its own risks and disadvantages. Yet, there is a chance to meet people and know from their eye contact what they are up to. Deceptive friends are also there in real friendship. Yet, the chance of getting hurt is less when compared to virtual friendship.
The net is full of social networking sites. The trend to treat them as an important marketing ground is getting expanded every day. Yet, how many of us are making use of these sites and relish the real purpose of these sites is still an unanswered question.
I am reminded of a poem by Emily Dickinson that reflects the pros and cons of virtual friendship.
THE HEART asks pleasure first,
And then, excuse from pain;
And then, those little anodynes
That deaden suffering;
And then, to go to sleep;
And then, if it should be
The will of its Inquisitor,
The liberty to die.
