Through The Looking Glass

I decided to post a picture of a bracelet I made a few weeks ago using a vintage watch band and chandelier crystal. I named this creation "Through the looking glass". Just imagine the former past of this crystal, the people it greeted, meals overseen, the conversations overheard. It reminds me of our lives, they are but a small space in time.

The computer reminds me of a looking glass. We can look into it and expect to find many who are just like us. Many times we do, other times we don't. It' so easy to make friendships here. The people on the other side that read and hear us seam so easy to talk to and communicate with. However, I do find it very impersonal. There are no facial expressions to observe, no smiles to see, no hurt eyes to behold. There is an old English proverb "Eyes are the window to the soul". A person's thoughts can be ascertained by looking in his or her eyes. The proverb has been traced back in English to 'Regiment of Life' (1545). But the proverb was known much earlier. Cicero (106-43 B.C.) is quoted as saying, 'Ut imago est animi voltus sic indices oculi' (The face is a picture of the mind as the eyes are its interpreter). The Latin proverbs, 'Vultus est index animi' or 'Oculus animi index,' are usually translated as 'The face is the index of the mind.' The French say, 'Les yeux sont le miroir de l'dme (The eyes are the mirror of the soul). 'The eyes are the window of the soul' is a variant form of the proverb..." From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).

Nurturing a friendship with somebody you can’t see or feel, is not an easy task, by any means, for without their physical presence, forming a friendship that will last forever is very difficult. C.S. Lewis says friends are people that are travelling in the same direction, have similar aspirations and goals and encourage each other in attaining those goals. Friends are not people that pull you down. They are not people who are jealous, they are people who can handle your talents and gifts and help you to be the best you can be. Friendships is DOING and not just TALKING.

Of course, some people will argue that there is an advantage in not being able to see one another. Some don’t have a lot of confidence in their looks and some shy away from speaking in public, or in a group. For these people, online friendship can be a way of avoiding these daunting moments. In the main though, this opens up the Internet to deception in an Internet friendship. Anybody can be anybody they wish… hide behind a veil and live an Internet life of deceit and lies. Any person who owns a computer, can log onto these sites anonymously and make friends with bad intentions, and sometimes these people are difficult to spot until perhaps, it’s too late.

So, when making friends over the internet, it is advisable to be extremely careful and be alert at all times. When speaking to unknown people on the internet, do not divulge personal information, like you telephone number, address or even close location, unless you are totally sure of the person to whom you’re speaking. Cut contact, if you feel this person is probing too deeply into your personal life, and don’t disclose anything about your friends, relatives or close family. Exchange photographs only if you know this person well, and trust them with personal information, and never, ever arrange to meet a person you have just met on the Internet. Whatever age you are, if you feel you want to go meet somebody tell your parents or a very close friend. Someone should know where and when the meeting is to take place. Always check a person’s profile, and if you feel they’re not genuine, don’t accept their friends request, and certainly don’t forward or read e-mails to or from unknown people.

I hope the people here with blogs meet many friends, nuture those friendships, and always remember there is a person on the other side of the screen.

God bless