"It's the thought that counts." Myth debunked: When did you last get a text message from your best friend? AIM IM? Myspace comment? 5 minutes ago? Last week? That's nice. When did you last get an e-mail? Phone call? Snail mail? A stop by to say "hello"? It seems that things have become so convenient nowadays that the mere thought of sending a "hello" is only as far away as your cellphone pocket (or PDA or laptop). What's the point in licking stamps anymore? It baffles me when I get people requesting to be on my "friends list" (myspace) who I barely know or remember. If I was face to face with these people would they come up to me one by one, hug me, and ask me, "Can I be your friend?" Something about the extreme convenience of everything today bothers me. The way that it allows people to make their mere thoughts come true. But where's the effort? A homemade, homebaked pie is usually more appreciated than your local supermarket $3.99 pie. What if a friend brought a pie to you and you found out that it popped out of his/her cellphone at the single press of a button? Technology has watered down the value of everything. It's not really technology's fault, it's that people have slowly chosen convenience over sincere effort. My real friends always talk to me over the phone, or visit sometimes. I don't think texting and other more recent conveniences should replace the sound of a voice, the handwriting of a friend, or just hanging out together. Long ago people could say, "I was gonna stop by to say 'Hi', but I had a bunch of stuff to take care of." And that was nice to hear. But: "I was gonna text your cellphone to say 'Hi', but I had a bunch of stuff to take care of" is not quite the same gesture. It sounds something like, "I couldn't sacrifice 45 seconds out of my day for you." I've become extremely pessimistic of sites like myspace that only allow people to generate as many fake friends as possible. Well, not necessarily "fake" - more like "convenient friends". People who will chat with you online, send you funny or caring comments, and do anything for you... just as long as there's a working keyboard and monitor nearby. A thought alone doesn't really count anymore. It's the effort that separates the real people who care, from everyone else. So get real =p

chooser