Ramblings

I am still waiting for the baby to be born.  She is taking her sweet time.  I know she will be here when she gets here and I know it's worse for Mandie than it is for me, however it is still frustrating waiting for this baby to be born.

There have been a couple of news stories that I've come across that has really bothered me but have not had a chance to rant about.

One was a woman who posted on facebook about her overdose and made a good-bye post.  She had over 1000 "friends" including people who lived just a couple of blocks from her.  Instead of going to see her or calling her, they instead argued among themselves and insulted her.

The other was another suicide of a gentleman who had a horrible life and never managed to get beyond the darkness of it.  He made a very long good-bye letter explaining his decision.

In the first situation, here was a woman who obviously needed help and all but screamed for it.  No one helped her.  She was found dead the next day.  While the response she received does not surprise me after knowing the kind of people I have met on line (breastfeeding.com, sybermoms.com, etc) it saddens me just the same.  What kind of world do we live in where when someone is screaming for help, we ridicule and criticize and insult? 

The other situation is a bit different.  The guy lived a life of hell and was never able to move beyond it.  He didn't feel as though he had any other option and pretty much kept himself closed off from people.  I wish I had known this person, not just because of his contribution to society and the geek world, but because he was a human being who was hurting and maybe knowing he wasn't alone, it might have made a difference.

Two suicides, both made the news, both very different, yet both the same.  Human contact is very important.  Probably more so in today's world of electronic separation.  The lady from the UK had over 1000 "friends."  How many really knew her?  How many did she talk to each week?  How many made an effort to call her once in a while or stop by?  Mr. Zeller's situation also had "warning signs" that while not obvious (posting on facebook or the "classic signs") the signs were still there if people had maybe taken the time to dig a bit deeper.  Maybe he never would have shared what he went through, but having someone call once in a while to say "Hey, I was thinking about you so I decided to call."

Maybe someone did call these people once in a while or maybe not.  I don't know for sure.  But I do know that we seem to have lost something in our humanness as a whole in our effort to have more electronic friends.

By the way, I did just turn to Mandie and asked "If I posted on facebook that I just took a lethal dose of drugs, would you call me?"  She assured me she would as well as try to call every other person I know to tell them what was going on.  We live 500 miles apart.  (Yes, I am still sitting in her living room.)  I also know that she would beg, borrow, and steal gas money to get down there if needed.  If nothing else, just so she can kick my butt for making her worry. 

Real friendship seems to be fading away these days.  If you have real friends, pick up the phone and call them and let them know you appreciate them. 

I don't know if any of this made any sense, but these are the thoughts that are clunking around in my brain tonight.