I've Been Away A While

So, as you can see, I've been away for a while. I didn't mean to abandon my blog, or turn my back on my followers. By the way, thank you for following me. I now see that I have three followers - I don't know when I went from 2 to 3 but, seriously, Wow! - I am very excited and grateful.

My "hiatus" was due to the concerns of a very important person in my life. This person ... who, yes, will remain nameless ... deals with another side of society than most of us do. She sees all that is ugly, sick, demented, hateful, maybe even evil in the human spirit. Because of this, her perspective on the Internet and social media is one of apprehension and caution. Because if this, I pulled back on my interaction. I no longer have a Twitter account and, therefore, do not tweet. (Sorry for any of you out there who use to follow me.) And I stopped blogging ... but I just didn't have the heart to take it down completely.

I think the Internet and social media is like anything else in our society. It is not, in and of itself, evil - or good for that matter. It's an inanimate object. It is what people do with it that makes it something else. I hear so many negative things about texting, blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, etc'ing. These things are not the ills of society. They aren't making our kids social idiots. They're just "things". It's how our kids use them, or the extent to which they use them, that may impact their socialization.

Think back to the telephone. No, I was not around when it was first invented. But I was fortunate enough to hear stories from my great-grandmother about when her family first go one. Imagine what it might have been like - this thing that would destroy the human ability to write letters, communicate effectively, drain people's brains through continuous use. I do remember my grandmother warning me about the "boob-tube". Yes, television ... another rotter of human minds. Trust me, I agree that too much TV viewing is unhealthy and I closely monitor my son's intake. But think of all that we are able to experience and learn through television. Where would I be without Sesame Street, School House Rock, the Discovery Channel? And don't get me started on email. I remember when a person would never, EVER send a resume via email. It was considered the epitome of unprofessionalism! And just think of where we are now. Email is a standard form of business communication and most employers actually prefer a resume in electronic form.

I guess what I am saying is that it really isn't technology or new inventions that ruin society. It's what we choose to do with them that makes or breaks it. So, I will take the advice I've been so lovingly given about the ills of the Internet and social media and I will be cautious and as careful as a person can. But, I will also continue to do what I love to do. Write. And I'll try my best to do it fairly regularly ... right here on my very own blog.