Waving Goodbye

I don't have a Facebook presence, for which my daughter thanks me regularly. I also don't have a twitter account. I never had a MySpace when that was all the rage. The on-line world is moving on and I'm watching it pull away. I may end up joining back into the virtual world's latest craze at some point, but right now I'm inclined to simply wave goodbye. I don't like the way that the virtual world can make you feel like you've done something, when you really haven't.

I see this in many ways in my life, but a simple example is Realtor.com. I love snooping around on real-estate websites. I like searching for acreage and have a odd habit of picking obscure towns in the middle of South Dakota to see what is for sale. I can spend hours wandering around the country checking out some of the amazing properties that are available in locations that seem too good to be true. And yet, I haven't bought a house in 15 years. I have no need of a house and I really like the house that I have (except for the plumbing). I haven't done anything when I'm wandering around in the virtual world of real estate - but I feel like I have.

The most troubling part is the way the virtual world begins to impinge on the real world. I find that when we go out with another couple, I have an urge to talk about the various houses I've found on-line. My conversation is about something that isn't real. My virtual folly has turned into my virtual conversations. Even my conversation is about nothing real. Then I post a blog on a virtual site about my virtual convictions about my virtual life. I think I'm getting a real headache. So, I'll let the virtual world race on ahead for a while. It will give me time to consider whether it is worth trying to catch up and maybe free up some time to find that 10-15 acre waterfront property within a 20 mile radius of some obscure town in South Dakota.