@SuperManCuddles ~ Thank you.
& @ImajenMoon ~ I can't begin to tell you how much I needed those words tonight. Thank you 💓
@quixotic_life I have mixed feelings about the word friend. Where is the line between associate, colleague, acquaintance, and friend IRL? What does it mean to be someone’s “Friend“ on a social media platform such as Facebook or Cuddle Comfort?
At one point I had about 350 Friends on Facebook, and after so many times of seeing posts from people and not remember who they were, or noticing that they never reacted to or commented on any of my posts, I unfriended hundreds of them. I now have fewer than 25 Facebook Friends, but hundreds of people I still consider acquaintances and/or colleagues, and in some cases even friends. I’d rather catch up with them IRL and share selected photos with each other on our phones than follow their posts on social media.
As for CC, your post is reminding me to reevaluate my Friends list. I only have several. There are those I’ve met IRL and still keep up with; there are those I only met once IRL, several months ago, and haven’t spoken to since; and there are those I accepted as friend requests because I wanted to be kind and not reject them, yet I know very little about them and we don’t associate online or in person. I’m asking myself what it means to be someone’s Friend on CC— should clients and pros be Friends here if they have a professional relationship and are not friends IRL? Should I friend people I’ve never met IRL? Is a Friend I haven’t met someone I want to meet and/or cuddle someday? Should I favorite users instead of sending Friend requests? Is friending an endorsement, the way Karma is? Is a cuddler judged by how many Friends they have, and who their Friends are, in addition to how much Karma they have and who wrote those reviews? I don’t have the answers to all these questions right now, but there you have a window into my mind.
If you’d like to talk with me personally about friendship, drop me a line. 😉
@nurturingman ~ It's interesting you bring all this up... I'd originally posted after seeing a couple threads where people, who had previously been cordial with someone (and I'd figured were friends) turned sharply over a differing in opinions...
It made me wonder to what degree are those we may consider our friends here, actually our friends? And it made me feel more sad and alone than I had in some time. And although people replied with comments that felt really good to receive, my intent wasn't to go fishing for reassurance.
In addition to seeking a better understanding of my perceptions of what a friendship, a friend, and just being friendly with others here means (by comparing them with others' thoughts shared), I was curious if anyone had felt (or was feeling) the same sort of disillusionment I was or not.
And in the case others didn't reply, I also wanted to request everyone consider being reasonable and kind to one another, whether "friends" or not.
Friends on line are illusory until we meet them in person. There is simply too much contextual information and cues missing on the written page which easily allows for misunderstanding and hurt feelings. As long as one goes into this with that knowledge then it will be easier to accept when a snub or block comes your way.
Unfortunately there are a lot of people on here terrified of meeting anyone in the flesh and they talk about it on the forums. Sometimes it seems like taking a risk is a lost skill and it hampers unity and understanding in both personal relationships and in society. The decline of face-to-face communication and interaction makes us grist for the mill for media, politicians and other ne’er-do-wells that pretend to be our friend.
This may sound strange, but I find it easier to call someone a friend if I've had a fair amount of voice chat with that person. It just somehow seems to bring the conversation alive in a way that the written word can't. It may also be that way because I'm blind, and reliant on a synthesized voice to read me the written word. I guess I find that a voice convo, live or by voice message, needs less interpretation.
@FunCartel ~ It's your posts like these (even more than your humorous ones) that make me truely appreciate you!! If ever it were of interest and able to occur, I'd love the chance for us to comfortably sit shoulder to shoulder, with preferred beverages in hand, feet propped up, and a pleasant view beyond. For us to sink into the stillness, then slowly begin the spiral down, around and though each other's minds until hours later we find a need to pause only because we both need to pee.
Also, thank you for, "grist for the mill" ~ I don't recall ever encountering that one.
@hifigeorge No that is not strange at all, because a live voice is more alive than the written word could ever be unless someone speaks the written word to you. Not strange in the least.
@quixotic_life Thank you.
@quixotic_life everyone here likes you, from reading your comments I always see you the first person willing to help and respond to members answers you seem wonderful person .