30 Days of Thankfulness- Internet

It sounds kind of weird, but I am really thankful for the internet. I know the internet can be a huge waste of time. I know it can cause issues in people’s lives, from affecting their family time to damaging relationships. There are a lot of ways the internet can turn out to be a negative force in people’s lives. But there are good things about it, too. For one, we have almost infinite knowledge at our fingertips. I know some people will think that by saying that, I’m implying libraries and book knowledge are obsolete. They’re totally not. And I don’t think they ever will be. But the internet can make research, for pleasure or work or school or whatever, so much easier than hunting down written information, sometimes. For example, the internet is always open. You can access encyclopedias and other treasure troves of information via the computer (especially if you have a library card!!) You can learn to cook, how to tie a tie, how to clean a washing machine, how to get rid of spiders, how to knit, and billions of other how-to projects. You can self-diagnose yourself (or at least convince your crazy brain you are not currently dying of pancreatic cancer…not that I know anything about that…) with a number of online health advice websites. I like all of these things about the internet.

My favorite thing, though, is the fact that the internet connects me to people. I can stay connected with friends that I don’t get to see very often. I can reconnect with people I haven’t seen in years. I have established (or reestablished) friendships with people from my former church, relatives who live out of state, classmates I didn’t care for 7 years ago but it turns out are actually OK people that I have a lot in common with…it’s fantastic. I have made friends online through mutual friends. I can connect with other Compassion sponsors, or people who are going through similar things in life that I am. The internet gave me a method of selling crafts to raise money for my husband and I to adopt (our shop is currently closed, but I hope to reopen it again next year) and connected me with some lovely, supportive people in the process. I am thankful for the internet, and I’m thankful that we are able to afford it (and I’m thankful for the 3G coverage on my phone for those times when I don’t have internet service on my computer!)